Changing Circumstances
by Kit3
Summary: Under Construction. This version has been abandoned. Check out the Revised version under my other name, Penguinsama. Thanks
1. Chapter 1

All right, so, a little bit about me before I start this. For those of you who know me, don't worry, I will be doing a sequel to "BOTR," I just really like this fic. I'll probably do them at the same time. Okay, this is my first YYH fic. I'm a big fan of the show, but I've only seen the eps that CN has deemed to show, so I'm not an expert. I'm not quite sure on some of the spelling, so don't yell at me if it's a little off. I changed some stuff to fit with my ideas, but let's just call it creative license. If you feel you have to correct me, be polite. With one exception, I usually tend to ignore rude people. I haven't read much YYH fanfiction, so this is a little different from the "understood" rules.  
  
WARNING: This is a yaoi, and I do something kind of.odd.with it. But I think generally people will like it, just keep an open mind. This is going to be extremely long, because there's going to be massive multi crossovers just for fun once I finish the main objective of this fic, which is to put together the people I want together.  
  
I own nothing  
  
"Is that you, Yusuke?"  
  
"Yeah, it's me." The dark haired, brown-eyed boy closed the front door with his foot and tossed his green uniform jacket over a pile of empty pizza boxes. His mother appeared in the living room doorway, using the doorpost to hold herself up. Yusuke muffled a groan when he noticed that her eyes were puffy and bloodshot, hair a tangled mess, clothes wrinkled and stained. They were the same clothes she'd worn all week. The heavy scent of alcohol drifted from her, as if the empty bottle dangling from her hand wasn't enough to attest to what she'd spent her day doing.  
  
"Aren't you s'possed ta be in school?" She slurred.  
  
"What do you care anyway?" He grumbled, lifting a lacy pair of bright red panties from a lamp and tossing them into a bag of half-eaten Chinese takeout that was already beginning to gather flies in attempt to clean up the train wreck that was his living room.  
  
Home sweet home.  
  
"Listen, Yusuke, would you go to the store for me? I'll make ya' a list." She slumped onto the floor with a giggle, counting the items off on her fingers. "Some ciggies, wine, beer, chocolate syrup."  
  
"Having friends over tonight?" He asked dryly, stuffing more trash into the take out bag.  
  
"Oh! And ya' better get some condoms." She grinned, taking a swig at her bottle and, finding it empty, tossing it onto the pile of clean laundry Yusuke had forced himself to do just the night before. "We don't want any more accidents, now do we?" She whispered conspiratorially, hiccuping. She staggered to her feet, pulling a twenty-dollar bill from her bra and holding it out to him. "Here, use this."  
  
Yusuke snatched away the money in irritation. "What about dinner, mom?"  
  
"Huh? You don't really need to eat, do you, Yusuke? Mommy really needs her groceries. Isn't there somethin' in the pantry?"  
  
Yusuke grabbed his jacket and stormed out of the house, angrily thrusting his arms into the sleeves as he walked. He wished he was dead again. He was sick of it all, sick of life.  
  
When he was younger, he'd tried to take care her. He'd buy vegetables instead of beer and pray she didn't realize he had done so. He had cleaned up after her, held her hair while she threw up, and begged her, every day he had begged her, to stop. If she loved him she would stop and be a normal mother.  
  
But she never stopped.  
  
He had learned to fight by standing up to the boyfriends who beat her, learned to fend for himself by fighting off the boyfriends who were more interested in her pretty son than in his mother.  
  
He was sick of it, sick of it all.  
  
At the age of thirteen he had finally given up on the life he had dreamed of, given up on her. He had begun spending his nights in the streets when it was warm enough, just to get away from that house. He had joined a gang, gained control of that gang. They had been his family until he had been arrested, then they abandoned him, too.  
  
When the time had come for him to enter high school, Yusuke had just concentrated on earning a reputation as the baddest kid in the district. In a way, dying had been a blessing.  
  
He should have stayed dead.  
  
But his mothered had sobered, for a time, when he was dead. She had cried for him. He had foolishly thought that meant that she loved him, and had returned to life.  
  
What an idiot he was.  
  
Yusuke wandered the streets until it grew dark, then slipped into a convenience store and stole his mother's groceries. He wasn't very careful about it - even jail was better than home - but he didn't get caught.  
  
The party had all ready begun by the time he got home, and his mother refused to let him into the house.  
  
"Push it through the window!" She laughed though the doorway.  
  
Yusuke dumped the stuff on the sidewalk and left.  
  
"Get it yourself, ya' bitch." He grumbled.  
  
He stuffed his hands in his pockets and began walking toward one of the richer districts of town. He would get strange looks there, but if he slept in one of their parks he had less chance of waking up without his spleen. He reached the park and found a nice, out of the way bench without too much bird poop on it and lay down. Thunder crashed over head, but when it began to rain, he only hitched his jacket over his head and tried to ignore it.  
  
At least it was warm outside.  
  
As if it had heard his thoughts, the sky fell out, rain pounding down on Yusuke with fat, cold droplets as the thunder crashed and the lightening crashed angrily above him. Yusuke closed his eyes and tried to ignore it, thinking of the hot breakfast he would buy in the morning with his mother's money. If he was careful with it, he could probably buy lunch and dinner too. How long had it been since he had had three meals in one day?  
  
A hand snatched his jacket away from his face and he sat up quickly, grabbing at it. "Hey! Bastard! What's the big idea?" he demanded.  
  
Lightning flashed, illuminating a tall man with a fox-like face, emerald eyes, and long red hair.  
  
Kurama stood under a wide blue umbrella, every inch of his neat, pristine form dry. For once, his habitual knowing half-smile was gone, replaced by a slight frown.  
  
"Yusuke? What are you doing out here?"  
  
Yusuke snatched his jacket out of Kurama's hand and shrugged it on. Already soaked, it failed to offer either protection or warmth. "I'm sleeping, what the hell does it look like I'm doing?" He snapped. He was wetter than he had been before, thanks to Kurama.  
  
"You're shivering."  
  
He was shivering. "No I'm not. A little rain never hurt nobody. Besides, I needed a bath." He attempted to lay back down, but Kurama grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet. "Hey! Leave me alone!"  
  
"Come along, I'm not about to leave you out in this mess." He ordered coolly, pulling the wet human boy under his umbrella. Yusuke's trembling was more violent, standing, but it stopped when Kurama put his arm around him to keep him under the umbrella's protection and began to walk.  
  
Yusuke clenched his teeth tight to keep them from chattering, involuntarily moving closer to the warm body. "You're getting wet." He protested half heartedly, making no attempt to pull away.  
  
"My car is this way."  
  
"I didn't know demons could drive."  
  
He heard Kurama give a small half-laugh.  
  
Yusuke climbed into the passenger seat of the car with a little regret that he might hurt the seats. He stared out the window without caring where Kurama was taking him or whether or not the yoko was a good driver.  
  
"Why were you attempting to sleep in the park, of all places?" Kurama asked as he pulled out of the parking lot.  
  
Yusuke shrugged uncomfortably. "I got kicked outta' the house." He confessed, smiling bitterly. "Mom's havin' a party. Stupid whore. You shoulda' left me in the rain, Kurama. Maybe if I got pneumonia she'd sober up for a while."  
  
"Are you hungry?"  
  
"Huh? I dunno, I guess. I was gonna' save my money to eat tomorrow. I can always steal something from a gas station if I get too hungry."  
  
"And if you were caught?"  
  
"You get fed real good in jail."  
  
Kurama parked, and Yusuke realized they were in front of a restaurant. "Wait until I come around with the umbrella." Kurama ordered dispassionately, opening his door.  
  
Yusuke shrugged - what did he care? He was already cold and wet, if Kurama wanted to feed him, he wouldn't stop him. His door opened and Kurama offered him a hand.  
  
He was more than glad when they entered the restaurant - he was colder than he'd thought. Kurama closed him umbrella and set it in a corner, turning to the seater with a small half-smile.  
  
"Table for two, non-smoking, please." He requested coolly.  
  
"So, what were you doing walkin' around the park in the rain?" Yusuke asked around a huge bite of hamburger, stuffing piping hot fries into his mouth.  
  
Kurama, content with a garden salad and a tall glass of iced tea, gave him a slight, detached smile, watching his every bite as if afraid the dark haired boy would balk at the meal. "I always go for a walk at this time of day." He answered.  
  
Yusuke shrugged, taking a large gulp out of his coke and picking it up, rattling the ice at the waitress. "Yoo hoo, a little more?"  
  
"I do not think you should return to your home tonight, Yusuke."  
  
"Huh? No, of course not. Probably get some cross-dresser hit on me. You want the last roll?"  
  
"No, help yourself." Kurama laced his fingers together under his chin. "I do not think you should return home at all. You have an important job as spirit detective, you need a healthier environment."  
  
"What, you want me to live in the park? You gonna' come take me to dinner every time it rains?" He laughed. "I got a bad life, Kurama. So what? I'm used to it."  
  
"No, you are going to come and live with Hiei and I, I think. Yes, that is exactly what you will do."  
  
Yusuke stared. "You want me to come live with you?" He considered it a moment, scooping ketchup onto a couple fries. "You got a nice place?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"I don't know.I don't like charity."  
  
"It is not charity. Think of it as a payment. After all, don't you think, with everything you have done, that you have earned a better situation?"  
  
"How'd you get to be so manipulative, Kurama?"  
  
He smiled vaguely. "Practice."  
  
Yusuke stuffed more fries into his mouth, thinking. No one had ever offered to take care of him before, no one had even tried. It would be nice to sleep in a real bed, rather than a lumpy mattress on the floor that smelt like cat piss.  
  
"Won't Hiei mind?"  
  
"I'll handle Hiei, Yusuke. Will you come?"  
  
"I don't have any of my stuff."  
  
"I will take care of it."  
  
Yusuke took a long drink of his coke, considering it from every angle. "All right." He said finally. "All right, I'll do it."  
  
To Be Continued. I request at least five reviews before I continue this. Thank you. 


	2. Chapter 2

Wow, I actually got reviews for this! That makes me so happy, because I really like this fic. I just wanted to put up another warning now, this fic is yaoi. There won't be a lemon, and I try to do things very tastefully, and I haven't had any complaints yet, but if anyone has a problem, I have posted warnings several times now. Thank you. And a BIG thanks to everyone who reviewed. (Starts humming the theme song to the first season of Ranma ½ - yeah, it's stuck in my head. I'm trying to learn some songs in Japanese so I can improve my pronunciation..) Anyway.  
  
Hiei watched the bathroom door close and turned a glare on Kurama. "What's he doing here?" He demanded finally.  
  
Kurama crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, expression serious. He regarded the smaller demon a moment before choosing an answer. "Yusuke will be living with us for now on." He announced, watching Hiei's expression harden.  
  
"And why, exactly, is that?" He scowled.  
  
"I found him attempting to take his rest on a park bench." Kurama answered quietly, nodding at the slight uplifting of Hiei's eyebrows. "Yes, my thoughts exactly. I could not just leave him out there, not after all I owe him, now could I?"  
  
Hiei snorted. "You're too softhearted by far."  
  
He smiled slightly as he heard the shower turn on in the next room. "Perhaps, however, I believe you agree with my decision."  
  
"Well, I believe you think you want him." The dark-haired demon spat, looking away. "You've admitted being attracted to him before. You can't expect to convince me that you're doing this through purely selfless reasons, fox."  
  
Kurama lifted his shoulders in a small graceful shrug. "I like him."  
  
"And what about me?" Hiei snarled, voice dangerous.  
  
The taller man gave a half-smile of amusement. "You, Hiei?" His voice was quiet and calm, like the gentle sway of the ocean on a calm day. "I more than like you. You shouldn't even have to ask. After all, we've been together for a very long time."  
  
Hiei regarded him coldly. "So then, you think to have us both?"  
  
"Would you allow that?"  
  
Kurama's tone was cool, as if he didn't really care one way or another, but there was a light in his eyes, as if he were anxious. If asked not to, he wouldn't. Hiei scowled and looked away. "If it's that important to you." He grumbled.  
  
A hot shower felt very good, especially after the rain. He hadn't had a nice shower like the one he was having now in a long time, not since the hot water at his house had been turned off two years ago.  
  
Yusuke was beginning to feel much better. He didn't regret his decision to take Kurama up on his offer at all. Kurama's house was large, and much nicer than anything Yusuke had ever expected to set foot in. It was nice to be able to pretend someone cared.  
  
The arrangement would work out fine as long as Yusuke managed to keep control of himself, and not do something he'd regret. Something that would get him kicked out for sure. All his teen life Yusuke had been attracted to women, yet for some reason, ever since meeting him, Yusuke had found himself thinking about Kurama in that way. He was embarrassed when he did so, and couldn't figure out what was wrong with him. Kurama was beautiful, true, but apparently all for demons were, and besides, there was the little fact that Kurama was a male.  
  
Anyway, living in the same house as him shouldn't be too difficult. After all, it wasn't as if he actually felt anything for the quiet man. No one had to know about the occasional naughty thought. And besides, Hiei wouldn't appreciate him trying to move in on his boyfriend.  
  
And after all, Yusuke had never thought of other males that way before, and no other guys except Kurama and, strangely enough, Hiei. It must be a trait demons had, making themselves attractive even to people who wouldn't normally look at them that way.  
  
Yeah, that must be it.  
  
Yusuke turned off the water and dried himself off completely, even using the hairdryer her found sitting on the counter, before dressing in the clothes Kurama had leant him to wear while his were washed. He grimaced at his reflection in the mirror, running a hand through his hair to no avail, before exiting the bathroom.  
  
Kurama and Hiei quickly pulled away from each other and, though Hiei glared as if daring him to make a comment, Kurama offered Yusuke his habitual knowing smile, as if admitting he was caught, but thinking it was somewhat amusing.  
  
"Better?" He asked coolly.  
  
"At least you don't resemble a drowned rat anymore." Hiei sneered.  
  
Oh, he was definitely not happy with being interrupted.  
  
"Um, yeah, I feel a lot better." Yusuke answered brightly, shooting Hiei his most irritating I-know-what-you-were-up-to grin. He realized that he really did feel better, at least he was no longer wishing harm to himself to get back at his mother, in any case.  
  
"Good. Your room is this way, if you will follow me." Kurama offered with that slight smile of his. Yusuke followed as he led him up the wide staircase and to a room at the end of the hall. Yusuke couldn't help but to goggle when he saw the room.  
  
"This is too good for me, Kurama." He protested. "Don't you have a spare corner in the laundry room or something'?"  
  
Once again, the half-smile. Was he amused, or was he making fun of Yusuke for acting like some uncivilized lout? "Get some sleep." The red haired man suggested, rather than attempt to address the issue of whether or not there was a more suitable place for Yusuke to sleep.  
  
Yusuke caught his arm as he turned to go, but words failed him as those stunning emerald eyes met his own chocolate colored orbs. "I, um.thanks, Kurama. Really. Thanks."  
  
The smile actually grew a little. He nodded once, and turned to leave.  
  
Before he could stop himself, Yusuke grabbed his arm again, turning the slightly taller man to face him and pressing his lips against the red haired yukai's.  
  
Hiei scowled at the staircase, in plain view from his seat at the kitchen table, as he furiously dunked a tea bag over and over in a mug of hot water. Kurama had never returned from showing the young spirit detective to his room the night before, and all ready it was well past the time the for demon usually woke.  
  
Hiei didn't try to fool himself. He knew what that meant.  
  
Monogamy was not commonly practiced among demons. In fact, from time to time in their five-hundred-year-old relationship both Hiei and Kurama had taken other lovers.  
  
But Yusuke was a human, Hiei could never be happy knowing his lover was with a pathetic, weak, cowardly human. Yusuke wasn't pathetic, weak, or cowardly, but the small demon still wasn't happy about it.  
  
He wasn't happy because he was jealous. Not that Kurama had spent the night with someone else, but that he'd spent it with the only human Hiei respected, even if that respect was awarded grudgingly. He'd been able to be with the one human Hiei would consider taking into bed himself.  
  
Kurama came gracefully down the stairs, followed by a still-surprised looking Yusuke. Well, Hiei knew from experience that Kurama could have that effect on someone who wasn't prepared for him. The usually detached man could be surprisingly creative in private.  
  
"Well well, look who finally decided to get up." Hiei said coldly, glaring. "And both up at the same time. Isn't that a suspicious coincidence?" Kurama looked extremely pleased with himself, damn him.  
  
Kurama bent to kiss Hiei on his way to the cinnamon rolls resting on the counter, and Hiei almost ground his teeth. Normally, in the privacy of their own home, the two of them were very affectionate, but there was someone else there now!  
  
"I'm taking Yusuke to buy new clothes today, Hiei. Would you care to join us?"  
  
"I'd rather die."  
  
Kurama shot him a small, disapproving frown, handing Yusuke a plate and a glass and directing him to help himself to some breakfast. Hiei watched the human move with a scowl, angry with himself for wanting him. Angry at the knowledge that he could probably have him if he asked, but that he would never ask.  
  
"And what are you two fine gentlemen looking for today?" The manager of the nicest men's clothing store in the district asked with a smile, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Her dramatically painted eyes were greedy for the commission the two new customers could bring her, despite the apparent friendliness of her voice.  
  
Kurama smiled his smallest, most mysterious smile, putting a hand on Yusuke's shoulder. "My friend here needs new clothes. Something nice."  
  
"Nice" meant expensive. The manager's eyes lit up and within moments she had shuffled Yusuke into a dressing room with at least twenty different outfits to try on. Unfortunately, Kurama had seen some of those outfits, and couldn't stop himself from trying to picture his new lover in them. As soon as the manager had moved on to another customer, Kurama slipped into Yusuke's dressing room.  
  
Without even giving the human time to open his mouth, he had him pinned against the dressing room wall, kissing him and tearing at that ridiculous school uniform. He usually had more control of himself, but.  
  
What the hell.  
  
Needless to say, they were asked not to return to that particular store.  
  
Whatever the owner of the second most expensive clothing store in the district thought of the sight of his best customer with a dark-eyed, dark- haired boy who was missing the top button of his pants and all the buttons of his uniform jacket, he wisely didn't say.  
  
Truthfully, Kurama liked the second store better than the first. It had a better atmosphere. He explained to the owner what they were looking for, and he soon had the boy stuffed into yet another dressing room. Then the owner directed Kurama to a chair in front of a three-way mirror - perhaps suspecting the reason he wasn't at the nicer store. It had happened before, after all. With Hiei.  
  
"Can I get you something, sir? A drink, perhaps? No? How about a magazine?"  
  
Kurama smiled detachedly, leaning back in his chair and permitting the pampering - humans were such amusing creatures. He watched as Yusuke came out of the dressing rooms time and time again, asking the spirit detective's own opinion of the clothes before giving his own thoughts. All his life Kurama had been able to influence people's decisions - everyone he knew had always tried to do whatever they could to please him - so he was very careful to allow the people he cared for to make their own decisions.  
  
"I think this is the last one, sir." The store owner informed him as Yusuke stepped out in front of the mirrors.  
  
This time the dark haired human wore tight blue jeans and a button down red silk shirt. A simple outfit, really, but there was something charming about the way it fit his form that Kurama instantly took a liking to.  
  
Yusuke grinned at his reflection. "I really like this one."  
  
"He'll wear that one out." Kurama announced.  
  
Yusuke breathed deeply, smiling to himself. Somehow, the air smelled cleaner here than in his home district. He smirked at himself in a shop window, glad to be rid of the old, ugly school uniform - one of the last traces of the life he'd decided to leave behind.  
  
Hie eye drifted to Kurama with something akin to wonder. The man had taken him in, given him a home. No one had ever before cared how he dressed before, but Kurama had taken him and bought him nice clothes that fit properly. He couldn't believe the fox demon seemed to care so much. First of all, he was a demon. Secondly, up until yesterday, Yusuke had thought the guy barely liked him as a person, and hadn't been sure he could completely trust him. Besides that, for some reason he just hadn't thought Kurama capable of caring like that.  
  
Okay, so he cared about his human mother, and Yusuke had caught small hints that he cared deeply at Hiei as well, but Yusuke just wasn't the type people cared about. Or so he'd thought, but then, last night, standing in the doorway to the room he had been given, he had kissed Kurama, and Kurama had responded and things had just progressed from there in a manor that still surprised Yusuke when he thought about it.  
  
One day they were barely friends, the next they were lovers. Weren't those things supposed to take more time?  
  
But everything in his life finally seemed to have fallen into place. No matter how fast things had gone, it felt right. Wasn't that what mattered?  
  
A shop they passed caught his eye because it seemed so out of place, and he stopped.  
  
"Hey, Kurama, you mind if we go in there for a sec?" He asked. Kurama stopped walking to gaze at the edifice. With his long, slim hands in his pockets, eyes half lidded, it was difficult to equate him with the fiery lover Yusuke had known last night.  
  
"A tattoo parlor?" He finally asked, tone mild.  
  
"Yeah." Yusuke gave a small laugh, feeling foolish. No matter how messed up his mother was, she'd always threatened to kick him out of the house if he so much as thought about tattoos, piercings, motorcycles, growing his hair out, or premarital sex. Well, it was time to do what he wanted now. He'd do all of it, just to spite her. It was time to live his own life.  
  
As long as Kurama didn't mind, that was.  
  
"Is that okay?" He asked, trying to sound as if he didn't care.  
  
Kurama crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. "I'll wait out here."  
  
To Be Continued This chappie's getting a little lengthy. I hope no one minds what I'm gonna do to Yusuke, the image in my mind is just too kawaii for me not to. Besides, he's staring a new life asserting his independence and all that. As for ages, Yusuke's 19 and Kurama and Hiei are very old by human standards. By demon standards, they're like, in their twenties. Get? Sugoi.  
  
REVIEW 


	3. Chapter 3

Okay, to clear up some things, Yusuke is nineteen because I wasn't about to hook up a fourteen-year-old boy with two very old demons. Yuck. He's still in high school though because, let's face it, he probably doesn't show up enough to pass. Kurama's human form is seventeen or eighteen, also still in school. He sees his mother regularly, but doesn't live with her. I know about Yusuke being a demon, but since all I know about it comes from webpages and I have my own plans, I'm changing some stuff. No one knows about it yet, or his father, but he's going to become a full demon eventually. He's also going to look different in his demon form, and be a different type, because his real form isn't pretty enough for me, personally. It'll all be okay, trust me. I use it for some humor. Also, here's the reason I've decided to make this yaoi. As far as I know, Kurama and Hiei's relationship is not official in the anime or manga, just hinted at, but I can't picture them not together. As for Yusuke, well, let's just say that during the tournament, it looked to me like Kurama was interested. Oh, and one more thing. I thought it would be funny if Hiei and Kurama had some secret obsession that no one knew about. So, Hiei really likes to cook, and elegant, beautiful, perfect Kurama loves cars. Just thought I'd let ya' know.  
  
The dividers I put up to separate the scenes aren't showing up. I'll continue to experiment with different things, just bear with me. ~  
  
"Sorry that took so long." Yusuke said with a very self-satisfied smile as he exited the small parlor. Kurama was thankful his human lover had chosen a place that seemed sanitary, whatever his mixed feelings about the boy's choice.  
  
"What did you get?"  
  
Yusuke touched the bandage, which peeked out from under the sleeve of his shirt and smirked. "You'll see. It's a surprise."  
  
"You had your ear pierced as well." Kurama observed, tilting his head to the side.  
  
"Yeah, I wanted more change. It's addicting. What do you think?"  
  
Kurama continued to survey the slim silver ring in the boy's ear and found himself surprised that he actually did like it. "It suits you." He finally said.  
  
"Yeah, but do you like it?"  
  
"I do, actually, but that doesn't matter. Yusuke, I want you to do what you feel like, regardless to what you think I might want. I want you to be my lover, not my bitch."  
  
Yusuke gave a start of surprise. "Language, Kurama." He mock-scolded, unable to hide his surprise, or amusement. He observed the slightly taller man a moment before giving a laugh. "You just keep on surprising me, you know that?" He asked as they began to walk.  
  
Kurama smiled slightly, placing his hands in his pockets. "There are many things one learns about another when their lives become connected." He informed him calmly.  
  
Yusuke blinked. "Yeah, okay. Whatever. So, where we goin' next?"  
  
"The grocery store." ~  
  
"Uh, Kurama? Why're we buyin' so much ice cream?" Yusuke asked, feeling the stares of other customers. They had two grocery carts; one filled with regular groceries, the other with ice cream. Nothing but ice cream.  
  
"Hiei."  
  
"And all the fresh stuff? You do know that vegetables come in cans, right?"  
  
"Ingredients are needed for cooking, Yusuke." He answered with calm patience. "As I understand it, things taste best when fresh." Kurama paused to pick out some shampoo. He sounded amused, but then again, it was hard to tell with him.  
  
Yusuke thoughtfully picked up a jar of hair gel. "You mind if I get some of this? Mine's all back home."  
  
"Help yourself. Although, personally," Kurama cast a smile at him. A real smile. "I prefer you without it."  
  
As Kurama turned away, Yusuke quietly put the hair get back. He smiled to himself, eyes on the man who, incredibly enough, he was beginning to care so much for after merely two days. He only allowed himself a moment for that thought, before hurrying to catch up.  
  
"You know, Wal-Mart seems kind of dull for you, Kurama." Yusuke informed him as he reached his side. "You seem too elegant for this place."  
  
He gave another real smile. "I need to stop by the automotive department, and then we can go." He said quietly instead of answering, as if he didn't care about the compliment. But Yusuke thought he did, regardless. Maybe he was beginning to understand him. ~  
  
"He seems to be excelling, finally coming into himself, don't you think? I've never seen him so comfortable. He's really thriving."  
  
Hiei snorted contemptuously, indulging himself in his great, and secret, passion in life - cooking. "Must we talk about the detective?" He demanded in irritation, sprinkling some garlic over the ingredients in the frying pan.  
  
Kurama stood from his seat at the table, coming to the stove to carefully wrap his arms around Hiei and ignoring the way the smaller demon froze. "I know I'm not being fair." He said quietly, frowning slightly. "And I know you don't believe in fate, so I won't give you that excuse. I haven't even considered that you might still be upset, it had been a month, after all. I thought everything was going comfortably."  
  
"It is comfortable, damn it!" Hiei snapped.  
  
"And you don't like that."  
  
"No."  
  
"You must learn to embrace change, Hiei. I know you like him, too." Hiei gave a jerk of surprise, but Kurama wouldn't let him go. "He likes you, too."  
  
"Isn't that convenient for you." Hiei turned off the stove and took his pan off the hot eye. He scowled, not liking the tome of voice he had used when he knew Kurama was trying to help. He hesitated. "I.apologize.Kurama." He said with some difficulty.  
  
Before the red haired demon would answer, Yusuke came bounding down the stairs, taking them two at a time. He jumped over the final three with a loud whoop, hurrying into the kitchen. "Kurama! Hiei! We got a mission! It's about time!" ~  
  
Kuwabara looked uneasily at the note in his hand. It had frightened him to no end when a three-foot-tall vampire had leapt through his window and dropped it off with a cackle, but he wasn't about to give up a mission just because the messenger had freaked him out. It had been so long; he was looking forward to some action.  
  
An apple-green mustang pulled up and parked in a nearby parking lot, and three men climbed out. Two were familiar to Kuwabara, and their presence surprised him, along with the fact they had arrived in a car.  
  
"I didn't know demons could drive."  
  
Kurama cast an amused glance at the slightly shorter, dark haired boy beside him as Hiei shot Kuwabara a death glare.  
  
"What are you doing here?" He demanded.  
  
"I got a letter 'bout the mission." Kuwabara answered, shaking the crumpled note in the short demon's face. He smiled smugly. "I guess I'm the new detective since Urameshi went missing."  
  
The strange boy with them gave a start, frowning at Kuwabara. At a closer look, there was something familiar about him, but the large human boy couldn't pinpoint what. He had certainly never met anyone who looked like him. He was of average height, just a little bit shorter than Kurama with brown eyes. His black hair nearly reached his shoulders and was pulled back at the nape of the neck into a very short little ponytail. One of his ears was pierced, and he wore a pair of baggy silk black pants, Chinese shoes, and a sleeveless black Chinese shirt. Around his left arm was a tattoo of a vine with leaves, small white flowers, and, on second inspection, thorns.  
  
Kuwabara pulled his eyes away, frowning suspiciously at Hiei - he really hated that guy. "But what are you all doin' here?" He asked. "And who's the new guy?"  
  
"We were invited as well." Hiei spat, hands stuffed into his pockets. "And as for the other."  
  
"If Kuwabara wants to be an idiot, it's his own problem." The new guy interrupted in Yusuke's voice.  
  
"URAMESHI?" Kuwabara leapt back. "What in hell happened to you?" He shook his head furiously. "Nevermind that, where have you been? No, scratch that, if you're here, than why did they call me?"  
  
"We decided to keep the old team together." Botan's voice answered lightly as she stepped out from a dark alley. "You four work well together, and this is an important mission."  
  
"Well, you gonna' spill it, or we just gonna' stand around here all day?" Yusuke demanded coolly, placing his hands in his pockets.  
  
Kuwabara gave a start of surprise. There were more changes to his old rival than just the obvious. He wasn't as scrawny as he used to be, and he had more color in his face. But it was more than that. He seemed to have more control of his emotions than before. Wherever he had been, he had definitely been spending way too much time with Hiei and Kurama.  
  
Botan blinked, noticing his change for the first time. "Wow, you look really good, Yusuke." She blushed lightly and began to babble. "I was a little worried when you disappeared. Luckily, Koenma was able to borrow his father's trackers to find you!" She laughed.  
  
Yusuke's answering laugh held little warmth. "You mean that little vampire freak? I'll make sure you know where I am from now on, just promise never to send that creep after me again. I was getting out of the shower, and he handed me a towel. Pretty scary. I thought it was Hiei at first."  
  
Botan tilted her head to the side, watching him, as everyone ignored Hiei's growl. "Still," She said finally, embarrasment gone. "You do look good."  
  
"I know."  
  
"What happened?"  
  
The old Yusuke would have been insulted. The new one merely smirked and changed the subject. Strangely enough, Kurama looked very amused, and Hiei's angry growls had stopped. "So, what's the mission?"  
  
To Be Continued  
  
Um, if my spelling's off, let me know. Politely. Thanks. 


	4. Chapter 4

Well, it's rather difficult to find out stuff about Kurama's past, since not much is known anyway. I know he was a thief, or whatever. I'm embellishing the little bit I know. Just to warn you. Also, I know nothing about what Makai is really like, so I'm making it up for myself. The symbols I put up to separate scenes don't show up anymore, I don't for the life of me know why, but I found something that works. Not as neatly as I'd hoped, but it'll do. If you see a little squiggly line at the end of a sentence, just take it to mean that whatever comes next is in a different scene or perspective. ~  
  
"So, what's the mission?"  
  
"Oh! I can't believe I almost forgot!" Botan laughed. "I need you four to go to Makai, the demon world, for me. You see; several of the smaller villages there are disappearing. Well, not disappearing, exactly, but we haven't been able to get messages in or out."  
  
Yusuke frowned, a small fire or anger burning in his eyes. For just a moment he looked like the Yusuke Kuwabara remembered. "What?" He demanded. "You're sending me on a sucky mission like that?" He sounded really offended, that is, until Kurama gently touched his arm. Then, amazingly enough, Yusuke seemed to settle. He took a deep, steadying breath and looked away. "Sounds stupid." He said mildly.  
  
"This mission could be your most important yet, Yusuke, and the most dangerous. Something like this rarely happens, and when it does, it's never good."  
  
"Well, I'm ready." Kuwabara announced with bravado, puffing out his chest. Kurama, Hiei and Yusuke exchanged looks, then Kurama nodded at Botan. They were all ready as well.  
  
"All right, this way then." Botan said cheerfully, leading them down the very alley she had emerged from.  
  
"What're we doin' here?" Kuwabara asked in confusion. He didn't sense any demons except the ones in his party.  
  
Hiei gave him his usual exasperated, you're-a-fool look, crossing his arms. "This is a weak point between Makai and Ninjenkai." He spat, voice cold and full of contempt.  
  
"Oh.what?"  
  
Hiei's glare intensified. "Fool." He hissed under his breath.  
  
Botan cast them a pleading look. "Please don't fight here. Please!" She touched a brick on the wall that was a slightly different color than the rest and it flared pink under her fingertips. "Just concentrate your spirit energy into this brick." She instructed. "Not too much, or you'll blast us all straight to the Spirit World, minus our bodies. Just a trickle, mind."  
  
"This may prove too difficult for the oaf." Hiei said coldly, shooting Kuwabara a snide glance.  
  
"What's that supposed to mean, shrimp?"  
  
"Without his spirit energy, Kuwabara wouldn't be pulled through to Makai." Botan frowned.  
  
Hiei regarded her levelly. "And that's a problem?"  
  
"No! No way are you leaving me behind!" Not really sure, afterwards, how he had done it, Kuwabara focussed a tiny amount of spirit energy into his index finger and touched the brick. As it flared orange he shot Hiei a triumphant look. The wall seemed to fuzz a little, bulging inward.  
  
"Next?" Botan asked brightly.  
  
One by one, they each touched the brick, causing it to flare with the colors of their spirit energy. Blue for Yusuke, green for Kurama, and a strangely deep black for Hiei. With each touch the wall fuzzed and suddenly-  
  
~  
  
Yusuke blinked at an almost green sun, yellowish clouds drifting across a bleached-out sky. Prickly lime green grass pocked into his palms, rustling dryly when he moved, as he picked himself up, standing. Kurama was just sitting up. Yusuke reached down to offer him a hand and he smiled - one of his rare, real smiles - and accepted the help.  
  
"This is Makai?" Yusuke asked, peering at the strangely colored surroundings. He smiled to himself as Kurama's arm settled lightly around his shoulders. "No wonder you like to stay in the human world."  
  
Kurama gave a small chuckle. "I stay for my mother. It may be difficult to believe from here, but there are places here much more beautiful than anything Ninjenkai can lay claim to. Perhaps, if there is time, I will show you one of my estates. Or Hiei's. His, too are beautiful."  
  
"I've been trying to get him to move here for years." Hiei spat from behind them.  
  
Kurama let his arm fall from Yusuke's shoulders and gave Hiei one of his rare, enthralling, genuine smiles.  
  
With a groan, Kuwabara began to stir and Yusuke wiped all emotion from his face, liking how it had unsettled the other human. Botan, too, began to stir, blushing when she realized that she had landed on top of Kuwabara. They scampered backwards away from each other, Kuwabara running strait into Yusuke's knees and knocking him down.  
  
Yusuke cursed loudly. "Kuwabara, you idiot! Why don't'cha watch where you're goin' next time?" Screw dignity, no one knocked him down!  
  
Suddenly, hands grabbed him and pulled him roughly to his feet, one hand covering his mouth. "This is a bad place to raise your voice, detective." Hiei's voice hissed in his ear as Kuwabara picked himself up from the ground. Yusuke tried to pull away, but Hiei's hands were like steel manacles. If anything, his grip on Yusuke only tightened. Yusuke grew very still as he felt the dark haired demon's breath brush his ear.  
  
Abruptly, Hiei released him, shoving him at Kurama, who caught him easily.  
  
"Keep your pet quiet." He snarled.  
  
"Bastard." Yusuke seethed, rounding on him.  
  
Kurama caught his arm. "Easy, my dear, Hiei is correct. This is not a good area to be looking for trouble in. I believe we would not like the fight we would find here."  
  
Yusuke shook him off, but didn't go after Hiei. Botan and Kuwabara both blinked in surprise.  
  
"Whoa, major tension! Hey, since when do you listen to reason Urameshi?"  
  
"Bite me."  
  
"The lands that have been disappearing are in the north." Botan informed them, shooting the two humans warning looks. "I'll be popping in from time to time to check your progress and bring you supplies. Be careful." She vanished, a last plea of "And behave yourselves!" Echoing in the air around them.  
  
The four exchanged glances.  
  
"Let's get some rules down before we begin, shall we?" Hiei said quietly. "The detective may be the," He snorted, "Leader of our little group, but Kurama and I know this place the best. So here's what I propose. Unless there is a battle, Kurama and I are in charge. Got it?"  
  
"No! No way!" Kuwabara objected explosively. "Ain't no way we're followin' you two! Tell em' Urameshi!"  
  
Everyone looked to Yusuke, who smiled coldly.  
  
"Lead the way, Hiei."  
  
Kurama nodded his approval while Hiei merely smirked. They began to walk, leaving Kuwabara gaping. After a few moment he seemed to realize that he was being left, and rushed to catch up.  
  
"Hey! Hey wait! You guys aren't leavin' me behind! Hey! Urameshi? Hey, I said get back here!" ~  
  
Yusuke sat outside watching a reddish moon rise in a purple sky, cold blue stars twinkling. As the sun had begun to set, Botan had arrived with camping supplies - enough sleeping bags and pillows for everyone, flashlights, matched, food, pots and pans, and two tents. She had promised to return in the morning to take it all back so they wouldn't need to lug it around. They could make better time without being weighted down, after all.  
  
Kuwabara approached, sending glares back at the dramatically tilting tent he had just erected. "Get off your lazy butt and come help me, Urameshi." He ordered.  
  
Yusuke ignored him, continuing to chew on a toothpick.  
  
Kuwabara glanced at the tent Yusuke sat beside, for the first time noticing the quiet but unmistakable noises that were coming from the makeshift dwelling. His face grew very pale. "Are Hiei and Kurama both in there?" He asked slowly.  
  
"Yup." Yusuke drawled, tossing away the toothpick.  
  
"What are they-" Kuwabara cleared his throat nervously. "Are they-?"  
  
"Yup."  
  
"You mean they're-?"  
  
Yusuke raised an eyebrow. "You mean you didn't know?"  
  
Kuwabara shook his head slowly in bewilderment.  
  
Yusuke smirked, beginning to have some fun. "Well, they are." He informed the taller man smugly, watching his face redden. "Oh yeah, definitely." He listened intently as the noises from the tent began to dim.  
  
"C'mon, Urameshi, don't sit there. We'll fix our tent and sleep on opposite sides like normal strait guys."  
  
Yusuke smirked again. "I'm afraid you'll have to have that tent all to yourself, Kuwabara." He announced with no little amusement, watching horror fill the other boy's eyes.  
  
"Huh? What do you mean?"  
  
The tent flap opened and Hiei stepped out. "I'm going for a walk." He informed Yusuke without bothering to look at him. "I'll be back in an hour."  
  
"An hour?" Yusuke leapt to his feet. "Oh, come on! I gave you more than an hour!"  
  
"That's because you are a fool, detective."  
  
"You don't play fair!"  
  
"I know." Hiei smirked, walking away proudly with his hands in his pockets.  
  
Glaring after him, Yusuke poked his head inside the tent. "Kurama, Hiei's being an ass. He only left us an hour, you wanna' just wait until tomorrow? You're probably tired."  
  
Kurama pulled him into the tent and into his arms, smiling into his surprised eyes. "I love camping." He whispered, smile becoming rather mischievous. ~  
  
To Be Continued 


	5. Chapter 5

Okey-dokey, well, I do try to alternate these things, you know, so here's another chapter of some good ole' yaoi. As I've mentioned, school has started up once more, and it's my senior year, meaning life is going to be hell until I graduate. I'll try not to wait an entire year between updates this time though. Sorry the last chapter of ATR sucked, but I did write it at school. That should be excuse enough, ne?  
  
Also, one last time, I know that Yusuke is a demon, I do. I even know what his demon form looks like, however, I like my own take on it better so, due to this, and the fact that those episodes haven't aired yet, it's going to be waaaaaay different.  
  
WARNINGS: 1. This is yaoi 2. I own nothing  
  
~  
  
For a while, Kuwabara's apparent discomfort and attempts to ignore Yusuke, Kurama, and Hiei were amusing. Now, however, they were getting a bit annoying. It wasn't any of his business anyway, damn it.  
  
"This is one of the villages Spirit World is having trouble getting messages from." Kurama said suddenly, stopping abruptly and pointing at a small town at the base of the hill they stood atop. "The first of many, I'm afraid. Shall we investigate?"  
  
"I'm up for it." Yusuke decided, cracking his knuckles loudly.  
  
Hiei smirked at him. "Are you sure you can keep up, detective?"  
  
"Hey, I just hope you don't choke to death on my dust!"  
  
"Now you're flirting with Hiei?" Kuwabara groaned.  
  
"I am not flirting!" Yusuke objected quickly. Why did Kurama have to look so amused? And why the sudden annoyed look on Hiei's own face? "We weren't flirting." He finished, feeling lame. They weren't, were they?  
  
"I know this place." Kurama stated with a small frown as they drew nearer.  
  
Hiei cast him a glance, and for a moment he looked almost compassionate. Then the moment passed. "We should find rooms right away." The short demon decided coldly. "I doubt any of us would enjoy the consequences of sleeping on the streets in a place like this."  
  
The guards at the gates barely looked at them before letting them pass, then they were inside. Most demons they passed didn't give them a second glance, only passed by as quickly as they could, eyes downcast. The mood of the village was decidedly depressed. Yusuke, for one, was thankful that no one seemed interested in bothering them - he had realized that it probably wasn't a good idea to be a human in a town full of demons.  
  
It wasn't long before Yusuke began to feel eyes on the back of his neck. Just because no one would meet his eye didn't mean no one noticed he was human, after all. By the rigid way Kuwabara walked, he, too, noticed the eyes.  
  
Because a part of him had been waiting for it, Yusuke managed to keep up a false semblance of calm when they were finally challenged as a large, burly demon covered in spikes stepped in their way.  
  
"Well, well, look what we have here. If it isn't pretty little Youko. You look different, but I'd recognize that sweet energy signature anywhere. You even smell the same!"  
  
"Well, Shuko, isn't it?" Kurama crossed his arms, outwardly calm, but Yusuke knew him well enough by now to be fairly certain that that wasn't the case at all. "I'm surprised you remember me after all these years."  
  
"Who in his right mind could forget the legendary whore of Dai'shaal?" He leered. Yusuke's eyes snapped to his lover as a growl rose up in Hiei's throat. Kurama himself showed no reaction; his face could have been carved from stone. The large demon smiled triumphantly, casting a careless glance over their little group. "So, what's somebody like you doing with the forbidden child and a couple of filthy, stinking humans?" He asked finally.  
  
Kurama didn't miss a beat. "The humans belong to us." He answered coldly. "A little entertainment stolen from Ninjenkai is always amusing, wouldn't you agree?"  
  
The demon's eyes widened and he raised an eyebrow suggestively. "You mean .?"  
  
Lightening quick, Hiei grabbed Yusuke's arm and pulled him roughly to his side, holding his arm in a steel-like grip and wrapping his other arm around the human's waist, glaring at the other demon. "That's right." He spat. "They're ours."  
  
The spiked demon considered this a moment before smirking and giving a miniscule mock bow. "Well then, let me know when you decided to sell the pretty one." He chucked, passing them and going on his way without further incident.  
  
As their group began to walk again, Kurama shot Hiei - who still held Yusuke close to his side - an annoyed look. "Why do you get the pretty one?" He demanded quietly.  
  
Hiei snorted. "I know perfectly well who he belongs to, fox, however, unlike you, I have a reputation to protect."  
  
Kurama frowned, casting his eyes over the two of them, but let it pass, trying to ignore the sputters of an indignant Kuwabara as he reluctantly slid an arm around his shoulders.  
  
"Why did that guy call Kurama a whore?" Yusuke asked quietly in a voice he knew only Hiei would be able to pick up.  
  
"If Kurama wished for you to know the answer to that, then he'll tell you himself." He growled antisocially.  
  
Yusuke was silent a moment, but he couldn't help asking one last thing. "D'ya have'ta touch my butt?" He complained, uncomfortable with the possessive presence of the hand on his posterior, he hand that definitely did not belong to his lover.  
  
"Yes." Hiei answered gruffly. "Fox," He raised his voice to be heard by the red haired man. "Pay attention; you're about to pass the inn."  
  
~  
  
"Why are we only getting' one room?" Kuwabara complained. "I don't wanna' share a room with three homos!"  
  
"Look, just chill, Kuwabara; nobody wants you, anyway!" Yusuke snapped, annoyed, as he watched Kurama light candles. He himself would have rather not share a room with the annoying human, but he was more concerned over being able to find the opportunity to speak to Kurama alone.  
  
"I'm going out." Kurama announced as he shook a match to put out the flame.  
  
"What?" Yusuke demanded.  
  
Hiei crossed his arms and sat on the edge of the room's small table, eyes sharp. "Why?" He demanded calmly.  
  
Kurama flipped his hair over his shoulder, completely calm. "There is a reason spirit world cannot get messages from this village; a reason morale is so low, even for demons. We probably will not be permitted to leave without trouble, unless we are only headed further into the lands where this problem is prevalent. Since I am the most familiar with this place, I am the most likely candidate to discover something that would be of interest to us."  
  
Hiei nodded sharply, though his eyes were unsure. "Very well, go then."  
  
Yusuke shot the short demon a glare and hurried to follow Kurama out the door. "You shouldn't go out there alone." He blurted as he closed the door behind himself.  
  
Kurama smiled slightly, leaning against the wall and closing his eyes. "You worry for me, Yusuke?" He asked quietly.  
  
"Of course I do!"  
  
"Hmm." Kurama opened his eyes and looked away. "I grew up here, my dear." He admitted softly. "I lived here up until the day I met Hiei. It wasn't an easy life, and it isn't something I enjoy thinking about." He met Yusuke's eyes unflinchingly, green into brown. "One does what one must to survive."  
  
"Kurama?"  
  
He reached out and cupped Yusuke's cheek. "I am perfectly able to handle myself here, Yusuke, you mustn't worry. I will return to you by nightfall." He turned to go.  
  
"Kurama wait!" He paused, and Yusuke found himself at a loss for words. "There's something I want to tell you." He stammered.  
  
Kurama cast him a small, gentle, genuine smile. "You needn't say it. I know, my dear. And I feel the same about you. Go back inside and keep Hiei from killing your annoying friend. I will see you tonight."  
  
Yusuke caught his arm as he moved to leave yet again, turning him around for a lingering kiss that left them both breathless. They embraced, holding each other tightly.  
  
"I don't have a good feeling about this place." Yusuke confessed, voice muffled by the fabric of Kurama's shirt. "Just, be careful, okay?"  
  
Kurama understood, and stopped trying to downplay the danger. He tightened his hold on Yusuke. "If anything should happen to me, promise that you will take care of Hiei. He is a far better person than you think, and not as strong as he thinks."  
  
"I promise."  
  
Kurama released him, and left without a second glance.  
  
~  
  
"Got any twos?"  
  
"Go Fish."  
  
Scowling, Hiei reached down and took a card. The scowl became amusement as his ruby gaze fell across the boy sleeping on the couch, dead to the world. "What did you dive him?" He asked with a snort.  
  
Yusuke shrugged, busy rearranging his cards. "I dunno. I slipped some of Kurama's herbs in his drink when he wasn't looking. Guess it worked. You got any sevens?"  
  
With an annoyed frown, Hiei carelessly tossed one over. "Too bad it didn't kill him. Are you positive you are not cheating, detective?"  
  
"I told ya already, I'm not!"  
  
"Give me your threes."  
  
Yusuke smirked triumphantly. "Go. Fish."  
  
Hiei ground his teeth, taking another card. "He shouldn't be this late." He said quietly, eyes fixated on his cards as if they were all that mattered. He dearly wanted to pretend the statement was just an idle observance, and not something he was beginning to worry about, that much was obvious.  
  
"He'll be back. He promised." Yusuke crushed his coke can in his hand, also trying to pretend he wasn't worried. "I'm getting another drink, do you want one?" He asked as he rose, surprised at how well he was getting along with Hiei. When the small demon was preoccupied with more than asserting his supremacy over everyone else in the world, he wasn't so bad.  
  
"Sure." Hiei huffed.  
  
While he took two more cans from the mini refrigerator Boton had brought, Yusuke cast a careful glance over Hiei's shoulder at his cards. "Here." He said brightly, handing the shorter man a drink as he sat back down and picked his cards back up. So he was cheating. So what?  
  
"Since you're slightly less annoying than usual tonight, detective, I may as well ask something that I've been wondering for quite some time. Why did you change your hair?" He asked as he popped the top on his drink and took a deep sip. He glared at Yusuke, as if daring him to make some kind of comment about his attempt at conversation.  
  
"Kurama." He answered simply, lowering his eyes. He didn't think even Kurama knew that he was the reason he had changed his hair; but it had been worth the sacrifice. He would trade hair gel and more convenient short hair for the feel of Kurama's hands tangling in the now-longer strands any day.  
  
Hiei smirked, looking back to his cards. "Ah."  
  
"Any queens?"  
  
"Damn it, detective! I know you're cheating somehow!" Hiei yelled, slamming his cards down on the table and rising angrily. "I refuse to play anymore!"  
  
"Oh, come on, Hiei, stop being such a baby. It's just a game."  
  
Hiei grabbed Yusuke by his collar and yanked him violently to his feet. Whatever he was about to yell was lost as their eyes locked. Hiei began to smirk, eyes changing from angry to something else entirely as he slowly brought up a hand to touch Yusuke's face and, just as slowly, traced his thumb softly across his jaw line. His eyes held something strange Yusuke had never expected to see.  
  
"Hiei?"  
  
"Quiet, fool." He purred, face drawing nearly as he forced Yusuke's face down near his. Yusuke closed his eyes.  
  
The door opened and the two of them leapt apart from each other guiltily.  
  
Kurama smiled slightly, closing the door after himself quietly. "Getting along?" He asked calmly, seeming very pleased.  
  
"You're hurt." Hiei accused coldly, eyes locked on the blood seeping through the red haired demon's shirt as he pushed Yusuke away, making the human fall back into his chair with a noisy oath.  
  
"It is only a scratch, my dear. Yusuke, if you will fetch my herbs?" He asked. Yusuke stopped glaring at Hiei and leapt to his feet, hurrying to comply as Kurama allowed Hiei to help him to the bed and remove his ruined shirt. "It is pretty bad out there." Kurama began, pointing to the herbs he wanted. Yusuke removed them from the bag and went to get a drink to mix them in, thankful he had been able to learn enough about them to help his lover. "Apparently," Kurama continued, "One of the noble houses has been snatching up all the land, trying to take control of everything."  
  
"That's all you could get?" Hiei demanded, snatching a roll of bandages from Yusuke with a glare and beginning to wrap them around Kurama's shoulder, strangely possessive and yet gentle. Yusuke had rarely seen this side of him before; he and Hiei tried to give each other their privacy with the lover they shared. It was a strangely compelling sight. Maybe Kurama was right about the small demon.  
  
"Yes, I'm afraid no one is very talkative here. Whoever is behind this is attempting to conceal his actions from spirit world until he has enough land under his control to pose a threat. We will be able to move further into the captive territory without challenge, however, anyone who is already inside and attempts to leave is killed. Not a pleasant prospect, I'm afraid."  
  
Yusuke say beside him on the bed, just wanting to be close to him, and found himself grinning. "This mission is beginning to sound like fun!"  
  
"Fun, is it?" Kurama smiled slightly, a trace of fondness in his expression. "I will leave the fun to you, my dear. As for me, I would like some sleep."  
  
"We all need sleep." Hiei decided coldly, daring Yusuke to challenge his statement.  
  
Yusuke glanced at the bed they sat on. "It looks big enough for all of us." He decided. "You better just keep your elbows to yourself, Hiei. And no puttin' your arm around me like you did in the tent!"  
  
"For the last time," He growled. "I didn't know it was you!"  
  
The two bickered all the way into bed, making sure that Kurama stayed between them, of course. Yusuke turned his back on the two demons and tried not to think about what Kurama's amused smirk meant as the red haired fox demon's arm slid around him and pulled him close  
  
~  
  
"I can't get any further into the territory than this and be able to leave again, so you're all going to have to carry your own supplies." Botan informed them, twisting her hair around a finger. "The information Kurama has found is already proving to be a big help; are you sure you don't want to leave?"  
  
"We'll see it through." Yusuke answered with a confident grin.  
  
Kuwabara nodded vigorously. "Yukeena's home is in the area being taken over; I have to protect my love!"  
  
Yusuke and Kurama exchanged wicked, amused glances over Hiei's head.  
  
"Don't worry about us, Botan, we can carry our own supplies." Yusuke assured her. "We'll fix this thing." He shouldered his pack and grinned at the blue-haired grim reaper. "Who knows? We might even have some fun."  
  
She smiled and was gone.  
  
"You go on ahead, I will settle the bill." Kurama volunteered. Yusuke agreed despite the fact he thought they could probably get away without paying; they might need the money later, after all.  
  
He stepped out into the bright sunlight, trying to ignore Hiei's ongoing mental threats of what would happen to him if he made any comment whatsoever aboiut his sister.  
  
Something struck the back of his head, and the world grew dark.  
  
~  
  
To Be Continued  
  
Okay, well, that's it for now. Check my profile page for my other fics, I'm thinking about starting a Kingdom Hearts fic that I'm really excited about. Check it out even if you know nothing about the game. See you there! 


	6. Chapter 6

Well, I'm updating on this one again because, frankly my dears, it's my favorite out of the two. I'll be able to update more this week, hopefully, because I'm off from school for a while. (Yippee) The only thing that may prevent me from updating would be my birthday, on the 8th, but I'll still try. (Yay! I'm gonna be 18!) Okay, I know I stopped at a not-so-nice spot before, sop I'll stop blabbering and get to writing. I would like to warn everyone, however, that this is where I start doing some things that I'm not sure how everyone will react to. Probably not in this chappie, but there will be a lot about Kurama's past, and Hiei's, and some stuff about Hiei's powers I'm not sure about, but I'm doing for the hell of it.  
  
I own nothing 2.This is Yaoi  
  
~  
  
Yusuke opened his eyes slowly, head pounding painfully from the blow he had received. His arms ached and his wrists and ankles throbbed painfully; something cold and metallic was pinching his skin. He tried to move and, upon finding he couldn't, tried even harder.  
  
He cried out at, suddenly, pain wracked through his entire body.  
  
"Finally, the last one is awake." A voice purred. A hand cupped his face, sharp fingernails digging into his skin. Yusuke found himself staring into a pair of icy blue eyes set in a sharply featured, yet lovely face. The woman smiled a calculating smile as she realized he truly was awake, and aware, and ran her eyes over him. "Another human I see. Strange company you keep these days."  
  
"Leave them alone."  
  
Yusuke jerked his face out of the woman's grasp, ignoring the deep scratched the action caused as he turned his head in the direction of the familiar voice. Fear filled him at what he saw.  
  
Kurama was crouched on his knees on the floor, hands tied behind his back. His clothes were ripped and dirty, hair a tangled mess, and, most horrible of all, there was a bruise forming under one of his eyes. He met Yusuke's gaze with a look of deep sadness.  
  
"Kurama?"  
  
"I had hoped you, at least, had gotten away, Yusuke." He answered regretfully, pulling his eyes away.  
  
"No speaking to my prisoners!" The woman snapped, sending a whip-like thread of energy at him. The red haired boy didn't flinch. The woman was very beautiful, with a curvaceous body that would have drawn Yusuke's eye a year ago, accented by the too-tight dress of green and gold scales she wore.  
  
Yusuke worked stiff muscles in his neck as he looked around the rest of the room that held him, finding a frightened Kuwabara chained to the wall beside him. Hiei was on the other side, in much the same predicament except, rather than look frightened, he glared furiously, a silk scarf stuffed into his mouth as a gag.  
  
"Quite a collection I've accumulated here, wouldn't you agree, Youko, dear?" The woman taunted silkily. "Just think of all the uses I can put these little darlings to. Well, the ugly one will have to go straight to the cookpots, I'm afraid, but the pretty ones. well," She scraped a black lacquered fingernail across Yusuke's cheek, smiling as he glared. He opened his mouth to give her a piece of his mind, and with a tsk she stuffed a wadded up scarf into his mouth and lightly kissed him around it.  
  
For some reason, Hiei thrashed violently against the chains holding him, his muffled cries filling the room as black lightning raced across his body.  
  
The woman smiled slowly. "They don't learn very quickly, do they? I can think of so many uses for them though. A high ranking, powerful demon of ill refute and an attractive human child? Yes, I could find them very amusing."  
  
"You will not touch them, Medu!"  
  
She laughed lightly, hand trailing over Yusuke's chest. "Humans are always the most amusing." She continued as if she hadn't heard Kurama, smiling when Yusuke's eyes widened and he let forth a muffled protest. "They fight it to the end, no matter the pain or the drugs. The amount of persuasion needed usually either kills them or draws them insane."  
  
"Medu!"  
  
"But then again," She left Yusuke, moving to Hiei. "The Forbidden Child could amuse me much longer. He would be very entertaining to break. It would be more than satisfying to watch him beg for my attentions." Hiei began to struggle again, receiving the painful lightnings for his efforts.  
  
Kurama's eyes were desperate. "I said leave them alone!"  
  
"Leave them alone? And what would you give me for my troubles? I would have to have a pretty heavy compensation for releasing treasures this unique. A fox demon completely obedient to my every whim would perhaps be enough. What do you think, Youko? Is the price worth it? I could just keep them and release you. Or. well, I think you understand my meaning. It is what I deserve, after all. You permitted me to go for years believing you were dead. To think I had to hear it from those worthless gossips from the tournament!"  
  
Kurama stared at Yusuke and the still-thrashing Hiei with pain-filled eyes. Shameful eyes. He dropped his head. "I will pay the price. Only please, release them."  
  
The pain began increasing until blackness claimed Yusuke once more.  
  
~  
  
Harsh hands shook him violently, sending tendrils of pain throughout his body. He was on fire, but it didn't really matter. What filled his mind most prominently was the image of the eyes he had always loved to gaze into once more looking at him with pain and shame filling them.  
  
"Hiei! Hiei, wake up!"  
  
He cracked his eyes open enough to glare, but his hope left him when he found himself staring into velvety brown, worry filled eyes, rather than deep and endless green.  
  
"Quit shaking me, you fool!" His voice came out a rasp, throat raw. He could remember screaming. He swallowed and sat up, expression turning from annoyance to surprise as Yusuke was suddenly in his arms, clinging to his shirt with a desperation he wouldn't have expected from the normally arrogant, self-sufficient youth.  
  
"She took Kurama. That bitch took him."  
  
Over Yusuke's head, Hiei surveyed their surroundings. They were in an alley, obscured from the street by boxes and garbage. Kuwabara was slumped in a corner, still unconscious. Hiei permitted Yusuke to remain in his arms a few moments more, drawing more comfort from the human boy's presence than he would have admitted. He felt shaken to the core. He had never even considered that Medu, of all people, would be the one trying to take over Makai - a fact she had revealed to him while everyone else had still been unconscious. After all, she had always been more concerned over her own comforts than power, but she had taken considerable pleasure in gloating to him of her eventual status of Queen of the Demons.  
  
He had known she was dangerous. He had known of her unhealthy obsession with Kurama, who she had tried to buy several times before Hiei had met him. But Hiei had never expected to run into her, especially not on this mission. It had never so much as crossed his mind, or Kurama's.  
  
Hiei released his returning hold on Yusuke and pushed the human boy away with a gentleness that surprised even him as he stood.  
  
"Where do you think you're going?"  
  
"Where do you think?" He spat wearily. Kami but he hurt. "I am going after him."  
  
Yusuke leapt to his feet. "I'm going with you!"  
  
"No you're not."  
  
"You just try an' stop me." He challenged, shouldering his bag. Hiei realized they were in the alley behind the hotel - their things still where they had been dropped when they had been attacked. "I'm not about to stay behind while that bitch had him!"  
  
"Leave Kurama to me, detective. I have more right to him than you, after all. We have been together for five hundred years and. ." Why was it so hard to say? "I. love. him."  
  
"You think I don't?" Yusuke demanded. "I love 'em just as much as you do, y' bastard, and I don't give a damn if you did have him first, I ain't stayin' behind! This isn't about you, it's about me, you get it? No one's ever cared about me before, no one's ever given a damn 'cept for Kurama and I'm not letting that bitch take him away. I never cared about no one before, but I love him and I'm not letting you go alone!"  
  
Hiei surveyed him coldly a moment before giving in and nodding sharply. "Fine, you can come. However, your friend stays here. He annoys me."  
  
Yusuke glanced down at the unconscious Kuwabara. "Isn't it dangerous to leave him here alone?"  
  
"Who's more important, him or Kurama?"  
  
Yusuke didn't even hesitate. "Kurama. Let's go."  
  
~  
  
To Be Continued  
  
Okay, don't be mad at me. I have reasons for everything I do. I have a side story to this, kinda'. It's about how Hiei and Kurama first met. Let me know if anyone wants me to post it. 


	7. Chapter 7

Okay, well here I am trying to keep my promise to keep the updates going while I'm on break. Let's see, I already put in my warnings about the things I'm planning on doing. I have to say that I'm a little surprised no one yelled about poor Kurama-chan. Anyway, thanks to everyone who reviews, I really appreciate the support. Oh, and I've been meaning to say this for some time. If anyone is looking for some good fics to read, check out my favorites. I'm very picky about what I put up there, and there's a nice variety of things, so check it out when you have time. Thanks for all the spelling corrections, gee I feel stupid. And the stuff about Kurama's past. I'm just going to keep things the way I have them, because I like them my way, but it won't be too bad. I decided I'm going to do the side story, because I think it will explain some things better than our dear Hiei will deem to. The only problem I might have is that I'm not very far in writing it. Maybe I'll just post how they met and leave their eventual hook up to the imagination. I dunno, it'll all depend on you wonderful people called reviewers.  
  
WARNINGS: I own nothing, and this is yaoi  
  
~  
  
"Don't eat so fast, there's no telling how long these supplies will have to last us." Hiei snapped, glaring as Yusuke rolled his eyes and took a large bite of food. The small demon wasn't about to rely on whatever they could buy in whatever villages they passed for sustenance.  
  
"What does me eating fast have to do with anything?" Yusuke asked sourly, not bothering to finish chewing before he spoke.  
  
Hiei let loose an irritated sigh. "You will not feel as full when the meal is gone and will want more." He spat.  
  
Yusuke snorted and continued to eat.  
  
"You don't get any more when it's gone."  
  
The human boy shrugged, slowly and deliberately licking his spoon before taking yet another too-large bite of the travel stew they had been supplied with.  
  
The truth was, Hiei didn't really care about provisions. He knew how to hunt in Makai, knew what was good and what was bad, but after nearly four days of silent travel he was desperate for any reason to speak to the human.  
  
"The nights will be getting colder the further north we go." He informed him coldly. "We'll be passing through ice demon land, if that's any indication of what to expect. Mere blankets will not be sufficient to keep a simple human warm and alive throughout the night."  
  
Yusuke began to cough, choking on his food. "What are you saying?" He demanded.  
  
Hiei smiled coldly. "Just something for you to think about." He answered smoothly, rising to his feet. He pulled his bedroll out of his pack and shook it out onto the ground. The nights were already chilly, but such things as heat or cold didn't affect a hybrid fire and ice demon.  
  
Feeling Yusuke's eyes on him, he slowly stripped down to his boxers and climbed into his bedroll, leaving it unzipped. "Be sure to clean up after yourself, human." He ordered, letting his voice drip with contempt, as he turned his back on the boy. He smiled to himself as he heard him begin to grumble and the pots and pans began to crash together. It was going to be a good night.  
  
~  
  
"Spiky haired punk."  
  
"Ignorant human."  
  
"Three eyed freak."  
  
"Incompetent fool."  
  
"You're stupid."  
  
"Your stench makes me nauseous."  
  
Yusuke stopped walking abruptly. "Hey now, that's not fair! It's not my fault Botan forgot to bring me deodorant!" He protested touchily. "I'm doin' the best I can, y'know."  
  
Hiei smirked to himself and continued to walk. "Don't fall back or I may begin to believe you're too weak to carry your own pack. I usually kill weaklings, you know. I could make good money selling human meat at market. Even if it did stink."  
  
"You wouldn't dare." Yusuke protested seethingly, hurrying to catch up. He didn't notice Hiei's smirk. "What about Kurama? He wouldn't like it if he found out you murdered me just because I ran out of deodorant."  
  
"I would comfort our dear Kurama. He would thank me for it eventually, after all, you're only human. You would die much sooner than either of us anyway. Besides, Kurama detests little boys who can't control their own bodily odors."  
  
Yusuke raised his arm and sniffed. "It isn't that bad, is it?"  
  
"Enough to make him forget his infatuation for you, yet not enough to make me retch. Yet."  
  
"Ha ha, Hiei, very funny." Yusuke grouched wryly. "Kurama wouldn't stop loving me because I smelt bad."  
  
"Are you sure? Do you know he even loves you in the first place? Think about how beautiful he is. Do you honestly think there is a place in his heart for a dirty, stinking human? Look at me, detective, and tell me if you are arrogant enough to actually believe it is possible for you to meet the standards Kurama has set by me?"  
  
"I. ."  
  
"You haven't even asked to stop and wash, and we've been traveling for nearly two weeks. Kurama would be horrified at the very idea. You can be sure that is he was with us right now; he certainly wouldn't want to touch you. I myself am completely disgusted." Hiei stopped and turned around, realizing that Yusuke had stopped and cursing himself for taking his insults too far. He had meant to be cruel, yes, but if he took out all his anger over failure to get the human into his bed on the very object of his near-obsession, he would never get the boy into his arms. He had realized while they walked that Yusuke was not just Kurama's plaything. He was a person, a very opinioned person, and if Hiei wanted him, he'd have to do the work himself.  
  
Yusuke stood, stance dejected, staring down into hands that weren't nearly so grubby as Hiei made them out to be. "Would he really turn me away for something so small?" He asked quietly.  
  
Hiei went back, grabbed Yusuke by the arm, and began pulling him along behind himself. "Don't be such a complete fool, detective. If you don't know him better than that by now, then you truly don't deserve him." They had reached a suitable spot and Hiei stopped, snatching Yusuke's packs away from him. "Here. We'll stop early tonight, if it will make you stop sniveling."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"You need to bathe." With one mighty heave, Hiei pushed the human boy into the small lake he had brought them to, laughing mockingly as the dark head bobbed above the water, brown glare satisfyingly indignant. The small demon squatted at the edge with his elbows on his knees. "There now, perhaps a good dip has finally served to bring you to your senses. Or do you want to cry some more, fool? I could make the water much colder; will that serve to wake you up?"  
  
"What the hell, Hiei?" The human screamed. "What the hell is wrong with you? Sick freak!"  
  
"There now, that sounds more like you." Hiei produced a bar of soap from his small bag of hygiene products and set it beside himself on the bank. "Now, swim around like a good boy until you get clean. And take off your clothes."  
  
"What? First you push me and now you want me t' strip?"  
  
"I don't give a damn about seeing you naked, fool, but if you don't take them off, they won't get dry by nightfall, and then they may freeze. It's your decision, of course. Nudity. or sleeping in saggy, cold, freezing underwear." Hiei kept his eyes and voice carefully neutral, watching Yusuke as a predator watched his prey.  
  
With a glare, Yusuke climbed out of the water and began to undress. "D'ya have'ta watch?" He demanded.  
  
"Can it, you sissy. I have every right to watch; maybe it will finally explain why my fox is so interested in you. It certainly isn't your winning personality, and we both know I'm prettier, so let's see what you have to offer."  
  
Yusuke turned away. "Bastard." He grumbled under his breath.  
  
Hiei smirked to himself and set to enjoying the view, very pleased with himself as he watched the human climb back into the water. The last thing he was expecting was for Yusuke to swim to him, grab his ankle, and pull him into the water. Had he expected it, it wouldn't have happened.  
  
"Fool!" He roared as he broke the surface of the water. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"  
  
"Your choice, Hiei." Yusuke smirked. "Nudity or soggy undies." He laughed in the face of Hiei's indignant stare. "Don't be such a wuss; turn about is fair play."  
  
Meeting his gaze defiantly, Hiei undressed right there in the water, tossing the garments up onto the bank as Yusuke stared in disappointment.  
  
"Unlike you, I have no wish to parade myself around like some damn exhibitionist."  
  
"Why?" Yusuke smirked. "You got something to be ashamed of?"  
  
"You can see for yourself that I don't." He snapped, snatching up the soap from the bank. He smirked as he turned away, thinking of the way the human boy's eyes had widened. He washed completely before handing the soap to his companion.  
  
"Y'know, this water doesn't look very clean."  
  
"What are you, a woman? This is the bet you'll find in this area of Makai, so be thankful." Hiei leaned back against some rocks, closing his eyes and heating the water with his powers, visions of a naked Yusuke dancing in his head.  
  
"It's like a hot spring." Yusuke sighed, leaning against the bank after he finished a hasty, yet very careful washing. A suspicious look crossed his face. "Unless. ."  
  
"Don't be disgusting."  
  
"I didn't know you could do things like heat water."  
  
Hiei snorted. "My powers are best suited to fighting, however I have other skills." He gasped as his head was suddenly forced under the water, coming up spluttering and glaring furiously.  
  
"You always gotta' act like you got a stick up your ass?" Yusuke demanded, splashing him and glaring. "You know, you don't make travellin' with you easy. The least you could do is lighten up once in a while."  
  
Hiei lunged for him with a wordless growl, forcing his head under the water.  
  
~  
  
Yusuke heaved himself up onto the bank next to Hiei, still laughing, and flipped himself onto his back, tucking his hands behind his head and closing his eyes. Hiei had to fight to keep a smile from his own face. Nothing had happened, and yet something had. He had had. fun. playing in the water with Yusuke. Hiei didn't play. He didn't. Yet he had.  
  
He watched the clouds drift over the sky, a sky that grew a more "natural" color the farther they traveled. The land was growing more and more familiar to him, and that was a bad thing. All lasting mirth disappeared at this sobering thought, however his warm feelings toward the human at his side stayed with him.  
  
"Hiei? How did you meet Kurama?" Yusuke asked suddenly, voice quiet.  
  
He frowned, but Kurama had told him, privately, that he was planning on telling the boy anyway. So he decided to answer. "It was five hundred years ago. In Dai'shaal."  
  
"So he did live there! I thought I remembered him sayin' something about. oh, sorry. I won't interrupt again, I promise."  
  
Hiei frowned, mind in the past. Kurama had been so frightened, fighting so hard to keep up the walls he had built to protect himself. "He worked in a brothel, I'm afraid. It was the only way he knew how to survive. I never visited those places, however I passed him in the street one day as I was passing through the town. ." Those eyes had been so sorrowful, devoid of hope. Kurama had been so utterly ashamed of himself, hating his own beauty, despising what he was. "Something about him drew me to him, and so I decided to take him with me. To have him by my side always."  
  
Blood had run in rivers the night he had stolen Kurama out of Dai'shaal. He had slaughtered every patron of the despised house in the beds they had paid for, burning the place down with its owner inside. Anyone who got in his way was killed as Kurama allowed himself to be pulled along, silent and ashamed.  
  
"He was a different person then than the man you know now, different than the powerful being that is so famous now among demon kind, as well." He continued, a muscle working in his jaw. "I tried to erase the pain he endured, and I succeeded, in a way. But he became dangerous, wrathful. He wanted the world to pay for the humiliation he had been forced to endure." Nothing and no one had been safe from Kurama's thirst for blood. No one but Hiei. "He ravished entire villages, challenged warlords. He became what he is known for; one of the most powerful and feared demons in this world."  
  
Power hadn't been enough to make his fox happy though. How many nights had he sobbed quietly in Hiei's arms? How many times had he begged him to take his life? How often had be begged him not to leave him, no matter how much of a monster he became? Hiei was, for some reason, thankful Yusuke would never see Kurama's weak side. How could anyone but Hiei himself understand it?  
  
Yusuke had sat up and was staring down at him, but he was too lost in his own thoughts to notice.  
  
"Finally, Kurama couldn't take what he had become any longer." There were other reasons, but that was the primary cause for Kurama's carelessness that had led to his death. He wasn't as careful as he should have been because a part of him had wanted the consequence he earned. "I was there at the last. It was because of me that he permitted himself to be born in that human body he uses now, and I watched over him, waiting for him until he grew up again." Kurama was his life. He had no meaning without him.  
  
Yusuke reached down carefully and touched Hiei's face, wiping away a fast crystilizing tear Hiei hadn't known was there.  
  
"I miss him, too." The human boy said quietly.  
  
Hiei's voice was a rasp. "We must find him soon."  
  
"We will." Yusuke was suddenly in his arms, hugging him tightly. "We will." He repeated.  
  
~  
  
To Be Continued  
  
Okay, there we go, just a little insight into Hiei's thoughts and the Kurama/Hiei that no one else usually gets to see. Let me know if you want the side story. It's basically Hiei's story in more detail, and maybe I'll include how they fell in love and grew to depend on each other so much. They've done a lot of growing, I hope I'm showing that okay. 


	8. Chapter 8

Well, I was going to start the side story today, but then I read over the next chapter for this and realized that it was one of my favorite parts, so I decided to do it next. Maybe I'll do the other tomorrow. Or later tonight, if I decide to stay up late. Anyway, let's see, plot warnings. . . um, there's some stuff about Hiei's past, his mother, ect. Um. . . some more stuff between him and Yusuke. . . oh, and one more thing I almost forgot to tell you. Kurama's situation. Yeah, he wants to protect Hiei and Yusuke so much that he isn't exactly thinking clearly. I think he also wants to prove to himself that he's changed, by sacrificing himself for the people he loves.  
  
Warnings: Just the usual. I own nothing and this is a yaoi fic. I guess I own whatever characters I happen to make up along the way, but who cares? Who would actually want to claim a bitch like Medu anyway?  
  
~  
  
Things had changed between Yusuke and Hiei after the day Hiei relinquished the story of his and Kurama's past. They talked more - about personal things, about big issues, and about nonsense - and they argued less. (A spat over whether or not cheese actually tasted yellow didn't really count as an argument, did it?) What neither was ready to admit was that a friendship and ease seemed to be developing between them. They reached a small town on their third week of travel, a town Hiei named as Ely'afreba.  
  
"Stay close to me, detective. They don't like humans here." Hiei said under his breath as they passed through the gates.  
  
"An they like us other places?" He mumbled back dryly.  
  
Hiei grabbed his elbow and yanked him to his side, putting an arm around his waist. "Of course not, but this place is particularly bad. Pretend your mine and we shouldn't have any trouble."  
  
"You're touching my butt again."  
  
"Shut up and listen to me. . ."  
  
"I think you do that just because you like it, not 'cause you haveta'. Ow! Hey! Don't pinch me! No Pinching! Ow! I said. . . HEY! STOP THAT!"  
  
"Then shut up and listen!" The small demon snarled. "Keep your eyes down and don't meet anyone's gaze. You are property, do you understand? My property. If I tell you to do something, you will do it. Without argument. And stop complaining. Understand?"  
  
"Yup. Got it."  
  
"I said keep your mouth shut!"  
  
Yusuke scowled and dropped his head, grumbling choice phrases under his breath as Hiei led him through the streets. The short demon had actually slipped his hand into Yusuke's back pocket, and used it to keep him glued to his side. Yusuke was not happy with the whole thing. Actually, it was a little humiliating. Make that very humiliating. Yusuke Urameshi didn't take orders from anybody, and he definitely wasn't meek.  
  
However. . .  
  
However, Hiei was looking out for his best interests, even if he did appear to be enjoying it more than he should, even if it was humiliating. He was protecting him in his own twisted way; as Kurama had said, Hiei wasn't nearly as bad as he thought he was.  
  
"Hey! How much will ya take for the pretty human?"  
  
"He isn't for sale."  
  
"Hey buddy, you lookin' t' make some money?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Oh! Scuse me, son, didn't mean to bump into you there. Say! That's a good lookin' human you got there. Ever think about. . ."  
  
Hiei rolled his blood colored eyes to the speaker and calmly told him to do something anatomically impossible to a porcupine before continuing on his way, hand on Yusuke's rear.  
  
Time after time they were stopped by demons interested in Yusuke, and time after time Hiei told them no, level of rudeness increasing with each instance. Somehow, hearing Hiei tell a demon who wanted to borrow him for a few hours to go somewhere very very hot and do something extremely rude to the leader of that very hot place, and feeling the warm, comforting pressure of Hiei's hand on his rear made Yusuke feel more cared for and protected than he ever had except for when he was with Kurama.  
  
As soon as they reached their room at an inn, Yusuke distanced himself as far from Hiei as he could, afraid of what he was feeling.  
  
~  
  
"Whoa, is that. . . ?" Yusuke blinked, rubbed his eyes, and blinked again. "Is that an island?"  
  
"It is." Hiei grunted, unimpressed.  
  
"But. . . it's floating! Weird enough that it would start snowing so suddenly, but an island floating above a forest???"  
  
Hiei reluctantly glanced up at the island and scowled, memories he would rather forget washing over him. "This isn't your world. Floating islands are not such an oddity here. Now close your mouth and stop gaping before something vicious flies in there."  
  
"Who lives there? Can we go see them?"  
  
The small demon's mouth twisted bitterly. "The island is the territory of the ice demons, and they are not particularly happy with the idea of men on their land."  
  
Yusuke couldn't pull his eyes from the island. "Should we go around the forest underneath then?" He asked vaguely.  
  
Hiei considered it only a moment. "No." He decided finally. "It would slow us down far too much." He headed toward the dense forest as if to cement his decision. "They only care about their stupid island; they won't bother us. Are you coming or not, detective?"  
  
"Yeah. . . Yeah, I'm comin'. Hiei. . . um. . . your mother was an ice demon. . . wasn't she?" He nodded to himself at Hiei's sour grunt, rubbing his arms to fight off the cold as he hurried to catch up. "Were you born up there?" He asked, making a motion with his chin toward the large land mass floating above them.  
  
"Enough talk. We need to walk faster or you will freeze." With a motion of his hand, Hiei had cleared a path through the snow before them. He then grabbed Yusuke's arm and began pulling him roughly along behind him. The apparent reason was to make him hurry; the real reason was to depart some warmth to him through the touch of skin on skin, something Hiei doubted the human even noticed, although it had been keeping him alive for several days.  
  
"I can walk!" Yusuke snapped, snatching his arm away with a scowl.  
  
Hiei permitted it to happen; he had put in enough to disperse itself through the boy for the next hour or so at the least. He had been infusing his traveling companion with fire magic for some time to prevent him from freezing to death or catching cold, and he had to do it more often the colder it grew. However, he knew that the nights would now be too cold for one touch to suffice, and with using up so much power on the human boy, Hiei couldn't afford to stay awake long enough to ensure he kept Yusuke alive. If he put in enough to keep the boy warm all night in one touch, it would surely kill him. The human wouldn't survive the night if Hiei didn't sleep touching him.  
  
As they walked, the sun grew lower and lower in the sky, and Hiei began to grow more and more agitated. He couldn't permit Yusuke to die; he would do whatever was necessary to keep him alive. Night came all too quickly, and Hiei reluctantly agreed to stop and make camp.  
  
He watched coldly as, shivering, Yusuke crawled into his bedroll, wearing every article of clothing he had with him. Hiei took his time putting away the cooking utensils and letting the fire die. Such a measly flame would never be enough to keep Kurama's other lover alive. Besides, the colder he felt, the more likely the human was to accept his help.  
  
He felt Yusuke's eyes on him, heard his teeth chattering. He smiled to himself as he undressed for bed - he usually slept only in boxers, unless Kurama was with him and they were alone, then he wore less. He took his time putting away the dark garments before turning to the brown eyed boy.  
  
"Cold?" He asked uncaringly.  
  
Yusuke scowled, lips already taking on a tinge of blue. Hiei's last infusement was already beginning to wear off. "A little." The human answered sarcastically.  
  
Hiei crossed his arms smugly. "Want help?"  
  
Yusuke stared at him a moment, then nodded, much to Hiei's secret surprise. Hiei hadn't expected him to give in so easily. Quickly, before the boy had the chance to change his mind, Hiei crossed to the human's bedroll. Yusuke didn't look very happy as he held it open for him, and Hiei smirked to himself as he crawled in, taking the boy into his arms.  
  
Yusuke grew very still after only a few seconds within his embrace. "How did you do that?" He asked quietly.  
  
Hiei closed his eyes, taking in the scent of the human he couldn't help but to care for. "Go to sleep." He ordered coldly. Yusuke still felt like ice; he had almost wasted too much time. "Sleep, and know that my power alone is what keeps you alive tonight."  
  
To his surprise, Yusuke snuggled closer, eyes already drifting closed. Hiei heard a mumbled "thank you," and smiled to himself, stroking Yusuke's thick black hair. For the first time since he had been stolen away from them, Hiei's last thoughts before sleep were not of his fox.  
  
~  
  
"Still resisting? It is futile, you know. You, of all people, should appreciate the power of combining herbs with magic." A long-fingered hand caught his chin, forcing his head up. He opened his eyes weakly, fighting a groan. "Do you not feel flattered by the lengths I have gone through to acquire your delicious presence?"  
  
Silvery hair fell into his eyes, reminding him yet again of his failure to escape once he had thought they were far enough from his loved ones. But he had been given something that had weakened him even in his youko form, and had not gotten far. He could not change back, his stronger form was all that was keeping him sane at the moment under Medu's malicious torture. But he would fight her to the end - he would!  
  
"It would be much easier for you if you stopped fighting. I even think you could learn to enjoy it - being my devoted slave. You could sit at my side beside the thrown I will create, a faithful hound." She caressed his face and he shivered involuntarily, wrenching his head away.  
  
"You have me here, Medu. Is that not enough for you?" He rasped. "Leave me my pride."  
  
"But there's so much more I need to do with you, my darling Youko!" She laughed. Her dark mirth passed, and she regarded him a long moment before smiling coldly. "Were you aware that your little pets are trying to find you? Oh, yes. The forbidden child and the pretty human. What do you think I should do with them when they reach us?" With a dark laugh, she deftly wove an illusion of sight, the kind that depicted anything happening anywhere in the world. It showed a dark haired human and an equally dark demon curled around each other in a bedroll, surrounded by snow.  
  
Kurama stared, caressing the image of the two he loved more than life itself with his eyes. Perhaps Medu had shown them to him in the hopes of filling him with jealousy and loss, to see them like that. But for Kurama the sight was the most beautiful thing ever. How he had longed for just one more glimpse of them. And he prayed they were in each other's arms for more than warmth, that they had turned to each other for comfort. He fought the smile curving its way onto his mouth. She must not know he was gladdened by the sight, or she would take it away, as she had taken so much already.  
  
"They make an attractive couple, don't you think? The little traitors, it looks like they've forgotten all about you." She wound her fingers in his hair, giving it a painful tug. "I cannot wait until they arrive here. I should like to know why they're even searching for someone they obviously care nothing about. Of course, I could just go ahead and bring them here. If I have the power to watch them like this, I obviously have the power to take them now."  
  
Kurama wrenched his eyes away. "What?"  
  
"Oh, yes. You mean it hasn't crossed your mind? A simple transportation spell, not so difficult for someone of my standing. I could have so much fun with them, after all. Even just watching them will be enjoyable. After all, it isn't like you have offered me much in the way of entertainment, have you? I had no idea you'd prove to be so stubborn."  
  
"No!"  
  
"No?" She blinked innocently. "No what?"  
  
"Medu, you must leave them alone."  
  
Smiling, she reached up and unlocked the manacles that held his wrists up above his head. "Well, If I am to leave them alone, then I want some . . . compensation. Catch my drift? I expect you to be more cooperative." She tilted her face up to his, eyes wild and insane. "Kiss me." She breathed.  
  
Glancing once more at the precious image of his sleeping loves, Kurama did as he was told. He did everything that was asked of him, keeping that one, sweet image fixed in his mind. For Hiei and Yusuke, any price was worth it. He would behave himself, be obedient and loyal, and when they reached Medu's stronghold, they would be turned away, and would eventually find a happy life with each other. They would be safe, and be happy.  
  
When he was finally permitted to return to his chains, he stared blankly at the illusion. Medu smiled, satisfied, and changed it to an illusion of their faces alone. "I'll leave this up here as a reminder of your . . . motivation." She whispered.  
  
~  
  
Yusuke snuggled closer to the warm body beside him, smiling to himself as arms tightened reflexively around him. Something was different, he knew. He had only before slept in the arms of one person, and the arms that held him now definitely did not belong to Kurama. A hand ran through his hair, fingers tangling and then releasing themselves in the dark strands, a second hand reaching under his shirt and stroking the bare skin of his back.  
  
He opened his eyes slowly and sat up slightly, peering down into the face of the man who held him so closely. Hiei's eyes were closed, a slight smile playing on his perfectly formed lips. Yusuke realized, as he peered down into the face that, for the first time seemed so peaceful, innocent, and utterly vulnerable, that he had never seen the small demon smile before. Not like that.  
  
"Are you finally awake, detective?" Hiei asked without bothering to open his eyes. "Are you warm enough?"  
  
"Yeah. Um, Hiei. . . thank you." There, it was out. He had said it. Yusuke prepared for the "I told you so's" to rain down on him.  
  
Hiei shrugged, smile growing somewhat. "What choice did I have? You wouldn't have survived otherwise."  
  
"Still. It means a lot to me."  
  
Hiei opened his eyes, and their gazes locked. Yusuke felt lost in those deep pools of crimson, falling and falling forever. He felt Hiei's hand tighten in his hair, and allowed his head to be pulled down. Their lips brushed, just a faint, butterfly-light caress that sent shock waves through his entire body, set his mind spinning. Yusuke pulled away slightly, staring down questioningly at Hiei you lay regarding him through half lidded, never ending pools of liquid. Taking a deep breath, Yusuke pressed forward, covering the small demon's mouth with his won. Hiei's arms tightened around him as they kissed slowly, experimentally, leisurely exploring one another in a way neither had thought would come to pass.  
  
Yusuke felt a small thrill, smiling to himself, as Hiei's lips brushed his neck, feather light, and . . .  
  
He froze as something sharp was pressed against his back, eyes snapping open. A rough hand grabbed him by the hair, yanking his head up and forcing him to his feet. Hiei rose slowly, in a much more dignified manner. He kept a close, wide-eyed watch on whatever had interrupted them, lips curling in a silent snarl.  
  
They were surrounded by thirteen women. Most wore skimpy leathers or furs, but a few were in breeches and light blouses - as if it were not freezing. Their hair colors ranged in different shades of blue, and they all held spears made of ice. Hiei hissed slowly though his teeth, attempting to glare everywhere at once, and doing a pretty good job of it.  
  
"Who are these men that trespass on our land?"  
  
"The forest is open to everyone." Hiei spat, backing away from the spears and closer to Yusuke, pure rage on his face. "We haven't gone near your thrice damned island."  
  
"There have been many trespassers on our lands recently, outsiders trying to interfere in ice demon affairs. We will not be ruled by outside powers! All trespassers will be killed!" The speaker's mouth twisted in disgust. "If you leave now, however, your lives will be spared." She spat, plainly not liking the last.  
  
Yusuke frowned. "The other trespassers. . . you're takin' bout that Medu chick, aren'tcha?"  
  
The ice spears were thrust closer and the lead demoness scowled. "Silence, filthy male! That vile name will not be uttered!"  
  
"No, listen! We're against that psycho-bitch, too! If you guys . . . er . . . ladies. . . came with us, I'm sure we'd have enough power t' ger rid of her forever. You don't want her takin over your worl, do ya?"  
  
The woman's eyes her steel, frozen over yet boiling with hate. "We do not move against women, and we do not ally ourselves with men!"  
  
"Jeez! What the hell is your problem, lady?" Yusuke demanded. Hiei tried to grab his arm, but he shoved him off, too angry to care. "No way, Hiei, I don't give a damn what these stupid bitches think. I've had enough with bein' treated like dirt, and I ain't gonna stand for it!"  
  
One of the women lowered her speak slightly, crimson eyes widening a hair of a fraction. She was an attractive woman, light blue hair pulled up into a high, spikey ponytail. She whispered a name quietly. "Hiei?"  
  
He cast his glare on her, frowning slightly.  
  
"You have until midday." The leader stated coldly.  
  
"We'll leave." Hiei agreed, eyes still locked on the woman. His voice was devoid of all emotion whatsoever. "But we're in a hurry, and don't have time to backtrack and go around these damned woods. We will go straight through, even if we must go through you to do it." An aura of black energy flared around him dangerously. Yusuke took his cue and slid into a fighting position, readying his own power.  
  
"Then go, but be swift."  
  
The other women stared at the one who had spoken, the one who held Hiei's gaze. His mouth twisted bitterly, but he nodded. "Get your things and come along, detective." He ordered over his shoulder, bending to pick up his pack, which he had packed up the night before. He rarely left a trace of himself anywhere. Yusuke hurridly threw his own things into his bag, wondering if Hiei was actually going to travel in his underwear, or if he planned to stop eventually and put on some clothes as he took his place at the smaller boy's side.  
  
"Who is that woman, Hiei? Do you know her? Hiei?"  
  
"Shut up and follow me, fool, before you get yourself killed."  
  
~  
  
"What did you think you were doing, Yameruki?" Suru demanded, rounding on the older demoness and planting her hands firmly on her hips, white-blue curls swaying. "You just permitted two men, two filthy, disgusting men, walk way alive! I was the leader of your expedition, or did you forget?"  
  
"It was Hiei. My Hiei."  
  
"Who . . . oh. Are you sure?" She glanced back in the direction the two males had gone. "It's been over six hundred years. What's he doing here?"  
  
"When the forbidden child returneth to reclaim the birthright denied him . . ." Tao quoted quietly. She stopped and shivered. "He should have been killed long ago."  
  
Her twin sister, Shao, frowned at her. "No, you're wrong. /we never should have thrown him out. I have said all along that we should have kept him where we could keep an eye on him. Look at how strong he's gotten."  
  
The old argument broke out again, as arguments so often do when one is faced with prophesy walking right before one's eyes. Yameruki stared silently in the direction the two males had left, already out of sight among the snow covered trees.  
  
~  
  
To Be Continued  
  
Okay, there it is. Um, yeah, couldn't find anything "official" about Hiei or his mother. If there is anything, I would like to hear it, but I'm not gonna change anything. Look, I even added in a little prophesy for flavoring. Let's just hope I remember to bring it into play later. 


	9. Chapter 9

Okay, me again. Sorry for my mistake last chapter. If anyone can get me a description of what Hiei's mother is actually supposed to look like, I'll go back and changer her name and stuff. I'll even make it a point to explain why she's not dead. (I still need her around, you see.) Anyway, apologies for anyone upset about the mistake, although, in my defense, it's not exactly my fault. I've seen all the episodes shown on Cartoon Network (to this date) and the only manga available right now isn't nearly as far as the anime aired. Also, I can't find any videos of future episodes yet (Sorry, I will not order them online) plus, I can't find a good webpage with lots of pics, info, and spoilers to do my research on. (Let me know if you know of one) Also, just me being picky, but this is fanfiction. Creative license permits us to change things as needed. Anyway, that's all I have to say, just an explanation. Thankies for all the help, and I'll get it fixed as soon as I can. Also, how do you spell Yusuke's last name? I'm not sure I have it right yet. . .Also, I know my ages for Hiei and Kurama are not right, but I don't care. From what I've heard, the creator of YYH isn't very constant with the years anyway, so it shouldn't matter. That's it. Go read the chappie now.  
  
WARNINGS: I own nothing, this is a yaoi fic, and also, I will be talking about Yusuke's demon form soon and IT WILL BE DIFFERENT. I wrote this part before I knew what the actual form looked like, and I'm not going to change it. I would, but I like mine too much, and anyway, this is a different situation, you know? So, no complaints, because I'll just ignore them anyway. (Grins)  
  
~  
  
"Well, that was certainly an experience." Yusuke muttered, tucking his hands behind his head and casting an appreciative glance at the dressing Hiei. He could still taste the small demon's lips on his own. The shorter boy seemed to be in one of his annoyed moods at the moment, but by now Yusuke was beginning to get used to the many sides of his traveling companion.  
  
And looking forward to improving Hiei's mood.  
  
He gave a small laugh, eyes scanning the lithe form without fear of getting caught. "Do they all dress like that when they're on their own land?"  
  
"Only the warriors." He answered gruffly, busy with his clothing.  
  
"I bet Kuwabara's nose would bleed for a month if he saw Yukina wearing something like that, if you know what I mean." He chuckled, idly wondering how long until sundown. He wondered if he and Hiei would get any sleep at all. The way things were going. . .  
  
Hiei turned an icy glare on him. "Watch your tongue, detective, or I may have to rip it out of that pretty mouth of yours." He threatened coldly.  
  
"Hey, I didn't mean nothing by it." Yuske said defensively. Hiei turned away and he sighed, touching the small demon's still-bare shoulder. "Hiei. . .hey, I'm sorry, man. I was just kidding. If I had a sister, I wouldn't wanna' think about her with that oaf, either."  
  
"I don't care who she chooses." Hiei's voice was hard and bitter. "I'm just disappointed that she would want a mere human."  
  
Yusuke blinked, withdrawing his hand. "Oh."  
  
A muscle worked in Hiei's jaw; he didn't notice the hurt quiet in his companion's voice. "It infuriates me; someone of my blood, sinking so low." He continued, prepared to rant.  
  
"I. . . I didn't know you hated humans so much."  
  
"Cowardly weaklings influenced only by their own fear and greed." He spat, pulling his cloak on. "Human beings are so inferior; they should be numbered among the animals. Lower, even." He shouldered his pack and began to walk in stiff, ground eating strides, stopping when he realized he was alone. "Are you coming, detective, or do you plan to stand there until you rot?" He demanded. "They'll send someone to follow us and make sure we leave within good time. I don't know about you, but I would prefer to be alive when I next see Kurama."  
  
Yusuke shook himself and began to follow, watching Hiei as if he had never seen him before. His chest felt funny, hollow. It. . . hurt. Hiei's adverse feelings toward humans were so strong, it was a wonder he even managed to touch him.  
  
Obviously, he only insisted on keeping Yusuke warm in order to keep him alive for Kurama. The heat of his kiss must have been imagined, or else, Hiei was merely lonesome without the presence of his longtime lover.  
  
Yusuke walked silently, unable to speak around the lump in his throat.  
  
~  
  
"Don't argue with me, detective. Come to bed now or you'll be too tired to make proper time tomorrow." Hiei commanded, swallowing his pride at having to actually ask the human boy to bed. For some reason the dark haired boy kept putting it off, finding other things to do.  
  
Yusuke glanced at Hiei's bedroll, which was now zipped up connecting his own, and shifted. "You know, Hiei, I don't think it's as cold tonight as it's been. I'll be fine on my own."  
  
"Ridiculous, it only grows colder the further we travel." He spat Why this aversion to sharing a bedroll? Was he afraid of what had almost happened to them before? "Don't worry." Despite his annoyance, he forced his voice to soften. It was a difficult task. "I don't plan on trying to get any tonight. You're perfectly safe."  
  
"I just. . . I just don't want to, okay?"  
  
"Are you concerned that Kurama will mind? He won't, trust me. I know him far better than you ever will. Now, come here."  
  
Yusuke hesitated. "I. . . I'm not undressed yet. I don't need to sleep in my clothes, right? They'd get all wrinkly and. . . stuff. Yeah."  
  
"Do I look like I care?" Hiei sighed, irritated with the boy's behavior. "I want to sleep, detective. Believe me; you do not want to be near when I haven't gotten enough rest - especially when the reason is due to such stupidity as yours."  
  
Yusuke turned away and began to fumble with the buttons on his winter coat, freezing when Hiei crossed to lay a hand on his back.  
  
"Don't try to tell me that this warmth does not feel good. You need me, detective, more than you will ever need the assistance of another being. Make it easy on yourself and admit it." Hiei smirked to himself as he watched the human nod, leading him over to the bedroll. "I trust you will not act so foolishly again." He said as they lay down side-by-side. "You are not a fool, Yusuke Urameshi, and I will not tolerate you acting as one." He reached for him, taking the human into his arms and holding him just a bit closer than what was really necessary. All that was really required was a simple touch, but he wanted the boy near him; wanted his scent around him and his skin against his own. A part of him knew he was beginning to fall for his fox's young human lover, but he was past caring.  
  
He smiled to himself, closing his eyes.  
  
~  
  
For some reason Hiei couldn't explain, Yusuke grew more and more detached from him the longer they traveled through the woods. There were no more magical almost-moments - times when Hiei permitted his attraction for the spirit detective to show - and every morning he was up and out of Hiei's arms as soon as he woke.  
  
And he was waking earlier each and every morning, no matter how far they had traveled that day.  
  
After a week and a half's worth of travel, they reached the end of the ice demon's forest and, although he still felt the presence of the unseen eyes of the demoness who had undoubtedly been sent to watch them, he knew they were no longer being followed; it was just him being paranoid - a thing he was prone to do from time to time. He had waited expectantly for a time when he and his human were once more alone so that he could finish what he had begun the morning after he had first kept the human boy warm.  
  
However now it seemed as if Yusuke was creating his own obstacles.  
  
After living over six hundred years, Hiei was still seen as a rather young demon - had he been human, he probably would have been in his mid to late twenties - yet even a young demon should have learned not to keep his heart so open.  
  
Well, fine, then. He would allow the stubborn human to have his way, even if that way did seem intended to keep them apart. If Kurama wanted to put up with such a trial, he was welcome to it, but Hiei was not about to permit some worthless human the chance to toy with his emotions.  
  
He didn't need him, anyway. He was merely a. . . and amusement to pass the time with until he had Kurama back. In a few years he would be useless to either of them, anyway - who wanted a shriveled up old man? Kurama would forget about his infatuation then, and Hiei would laugh and wonder at how he had ever felt attraction to some pathetic, lowly, . . . brave, strong, amazing. . . nothing human.  
  
"Hiei? Why the hell are you standing there grumbling to yourself?"  
  
He shook himself out of his thoughts and glared his iciest, most hateful glare before striding past without a word of answer. He didn't need that punk. He didn't.  
  
~  
  
Yusuke cast an uneasy glance at Hiei, walking silently beside him. It had been nearly a week since the short demon had given him a glare worthy of freezing the deepest bowels of hades, and Hiei hadn't spoken a word to him since the rather unsettling incident.  
  
Yusuke's tentative attempts at conversation had been met only with glares and rude noises, and/or gestures. He didn't even insist that Yusuke share his bedroll every night, despite the fact Yusuke knew that he wouldn't survive the night if he didn't. The short demon was keeping him warm during the day now, too, reaching over to touch his wrist every half hour or so, although it was perfectly obvious by the twist to his mouth that he didn't like doing it; no longer seemed to get his old perverse pleasure from forcing the human to depend on him to stay alive. He didn't appear to care at all.  
  
Yusuke hated the change, even though it made things easier on him and his wounded heart. At least now he knew the truth about Hiei's feelings toward humans, at least Hiei wasn't pretending to care anymore.  
  
But it still hurt. It hurt a lot.  
  
Eyes daggers of ice that dared him to make a comment, Hiei reached toward him, and without even realizing what he was doing, the dark haired human pulled away.  
  
"No." He found himself saying.  
  
Hiei scowled darkly. "What do you think you are doing?" He demanded in a perfectly emotionless voice. Even with the coldness of it, Yusuke thrilled at the sound he hadn't heard in such a long stretch of time. This, however, did nothing to cool his anger.  
  
"You heard me. If you're gonna' act like this, then I don't want none of your stinkin' help."  
  
"Don't be a complete fool. Do you wish to freeze to death? Is that it?"  
  
"Look, I know you hate me, but you don't have to be so obvious about it."  
  
"Hate you?" Hiei echoed softly, eyes widening slightly.  
  
Yusuke clamped his jaws shut; he hadn't meant to say that. Instead of an answer, he crossed his arms and looked away. "Look, let's get things clear. From now on, we're both on our own. If I can't keep myself alive long enough to find Kurama, then I don't deserve t' find him, so you can just keep your stinkin' hands to yourself." The cold was already beginning to sting his face, but he ignored it.  
  
Hiei opened his mouth, a startled, almost vulnerable look on his face, but then he scowled abruptly. "Fine, have it your way." He spat quietly, the look in his eyes not matching the tone of his voice.  
  
"I think ya' might change your mind about that one." An unfamiliar voice chuckled darkly. Yusuke's head jerked up and he stared, choking on his retort. They were surrounded by at least sixty raggedy demons, each one powerful-looking and armed to the teeth. He backed up until his back touched Hiei's and he realized that his short companion was tense. Very tense.  
  
"Are you sure you do not wish to change your mind about being on your own from now on, Yusuke?" Hiei asked in a strangely quiet voice as he drew his sword and uncovered his jagan.  
  
Yusuke scowled. "Positive." He replied automatically. "You and I are strangers now."  
  
He grunted, and it sounded like he said "fool" and then the two were charging in opposite directions, attacking opposite flanks of the bandits. Yusuke threw all of his anger and hurt into his attacks, and his spirit energy flared more powerfully than it ever had. There was something different about it the angrier he grew, however he didn't have time to think about it.  
  
The bandits weren't as interested in him as they were in Hiei, and he was soon free of enemies as they decided that the little demon would be much more fun than the strange human boy. He turned to find that Hiei had somehow manipulated his foes into fighting him one-on-one, the rest making a ring around him and his opponent.  
  
Yusuke took a seat in the snow to watch and restore lost energy. He told himself that he didn't care if Hiei got hurt, that it was the demon's own fault for being stubborn and mean.  
  
Hiei was locked in heavy combat with a bandit twice his size, their swords locked together as they fought, glaring at each other as if everything depended on who proved stronger. Hiei was toying with his enemy, which Yusuke could clearly see, and the human was filled first with a fond sort of amusement, then annoyance. Why did the small demon have to make it his personal duty to humiliate everyone who crossed his path?  
  
One of the watching demons nudged the person beside him, fiddling with something under his heavy cloak. Yusuke stood, moving closer. He was only curious, that was all.  
  
"This'll get that arrogant little runt." He chuckled quietly to his friend. The other apparition merely scratched his bulbous head, a confused expression on his face as he stared down at the strange glowing orb in the first demon's hands. "Haven't you ever seen a kokoro ball?" He huffed in annoyance, scowling at the dim-witted one. "This thing'll drain 'em of all his spirit energy and his live energy."  
  
"Will it kill 'em?"  
  
"Nah, not really, he'll just be locked inside himself - a useless vessel unable to move or speak for the rest of his life."  
  
The two shared a grin.  
  
"Do it." The second urged.  
  
Yusuke grabbed the demon's arm. "Hey, that's cheating!" He protested, not even realizing he had moved.  
  
He was shoved away carelessly.  
  
"We never said we was fightin' fair." The demon answered in a sneering laugh, rearing back for the toss.  
  
Yusuke picked himself up, and everything happened at one. He realized that he didn't care anymore how Hiei felt about him, the important thing was that he cared about the irritable apparition, and he wouldn't let something so horrible happen to him. He yelled his name as he threw himself into the circle, tackling the dark haired demon he cared so much for. Something struck his back.  
  
~  
  
To Be Continued 


	10. Chapter 10

All right, typing this up is taking forever, but at least I'm working on it. Life is so chaotic sometimes. Um, Keaira, thanks for the offer of assistance. If you have the time, could you just write me a summery of what happens? (Better to know so I can find excuses for the things I change.) If it's too much trouble then don't worry about it. Thanks a lot, you don't know how much I admire your writing.  
  
Warnings: I own nothing and this is yaoi and I have changed a lot of things from the original storyline  
  
~  
  
Hiei hit the ground hard, grunting as he caught Yusuke and staring without real comprehension as the glowing orb just finished disappearing into the slim human's back.  
  
"A. . . a kokoro ball?" He whispered in wonderment, despair slowly creeping over him as he picked the boy up by his shoulders and watched his head loll back listlessly. "No." He groaned, voice a mere whisper, eyes widening. "Detective, you didn't. . . ."  
  
The bandits were coming closer, closing their circle around them. Hiei merely stared at them blankly as he drew Yusuke tightly against him. There was a strange wetness on his cheeks, something he thought that he shout recognize but didn't. He barely even registered it as, with a curiously familiar battle cry, a slim woman in the dress of the koorime warriors materialized from a small rise of snow that couldn't conceal an ant behind, throwing herself wildly at the bandits.  
  
He didn't care.  
  
Hiei gathered the human close, closing his eyes and plunging his spirit energy into him.  
  
Nothing. There was nothing there at all.  
  
He shook, growing more and more desperate as he delved deeper and deeper and still found nothing. Yusuke was just . . . gone.  
  
Hiei didn't hear his cry of anguish as he dove even deeper into the soul of the human he couldn't bear to loose. He refused to accept that he was gone; he needed him to much for him to be gone.  
  
There was just the barest flicker of light, just beyond his "vision," but he fled toward it, franticly searching for any chance, the smallest hope, the faintest glimmer. He wrapped the light around himself, feeding his power into it with a state of reckless frenzy, praying to whatever may be listening for it to work.  
  
Nothing changed.  
  
Hiei screamed in fury and sorrow as he rocked back and forth, clutching the slim human tightly to himself and shrieking his rage to the heavens until his voice grew hoarse and he ran out of tears. He didn't even notice the scattering of little dark jewels around him as their trails dried on his face, leaving the skin tight and eyes swollen as he stared blankly at the sky, clutching Yusuke tightly.  
  
He took no notice of the bandits, who had paused in their fight with the woman he should have known, their focus now on the dark gems he couldn't care less for. They were arguing amongst themselves about the jewels, senseless arguing. What did all the treasure in the world matter? How could anything matter?  
  
Now calm, Hiei soothed Yusuke's dark, silken hair and laid his lifeless body carefully on the ground before rising to his feet. He was cold and composed, made serene by the knowledge that these monsters would regret what they had done very soon, that they would see what he saw; that there was nothing in the world that held worth because the detective was gone forever. His sword found his hand, and he raised it into a ready position, charging them in an eerie silence, both blinded and fueled by his own pain and fury.  
  
The fray began again.  
  
The woman was caught off guard, watching him, and knocked unconscious by the but of a staff, leaving Hiei to battle alone. Fine. He preferred it that way. He threw himself into his attackers with no thought for anything but the revenge he so burned for - that they had dared to take his human from him.  
  
A belt knife slid into his side from behind as he deflected a sword blow that would have taken his head while a spear pierced his leg shallowly and a staff cracked wickedly against his collar bone.  
  
Suddenly he was on the ground, watching the clouds spin above him. He felt like loosing every meal he had ever eaten, but that was nothing beside the pain. Snow should never be that color red.  
  
"I'll finish him." One of the bandits chuckled, cracking his thick, hairy knuckles. Hiei thought he was the one who had hurt Yusuke, but for some reason the larger demon kept splitting into two, then fusing back into one.  
  
Hiei tried and failed to move his sword, grunting as the man standing above him rested his foot on his chest and raised a battle axe high above his head for the killing blow. Hiei refused to close his eyes; he would watch his death like a man. The fear and the pain and the shame were enough punishment for his failures, but now he would suffer death as well. Failure to save Kurama. Failure to protect Yusuke. He had loved them both, he realized. Loved them more than breathing - a habit which he was about to forfeit. He regretted that he may never see them again, even in the afterlife. Yusuke's soul was locked inside his body, and he knew hell was no place for Kurama. He prayed that, if his mother survived, she wouldn't let the bandits take Yusuke's body.  
  
The demon above him smiled, licking his lips and hefting his axe. He took the downward swing.  
  
The End  
  
Just kidding. Keep reading.  
  
. . . The demon above him smiled, licking his lips and hefting his axe. He took the downward swing.  
  
A hand caught his arm and the large demon glared at whatever apparition was so rude as to interrupt his kill. The interloper was tall and slim with sleek, silky black black-crimson hair pulled back into a low tail, velvety black cat ears crowning his head. His eyes were slim and tilted, the pupils slit vertically and the irises a disturbing, glowing yellow. He wore the same long-sleeved black silk Chinese shirt and baggy silk black pant that Yusuke had worn, and his long, luxurious black tail flicked back and forth in irritation.  
  
The newcomer flexed the hand that was not restraining the bandit's arm, and trim nails extended into long, sharp claws. Like lightening he moved, ripping out the bandit's throat.  
  
He tossed the corpse down like trash, unsheathing the claws on his other hand as he leapt over the falling body, decapitating one bandit with one hand while thrusting his claws straight into a second's heart with the other.  
  
Hiei struggled to his feet, holding his side tightly to keep in his life's blood as he watched, awestruck, as the cat demon brutally slaughtered each and every bandit, refusing to allow even one the chance to escape.  
  
When they were gone he rounded on Hiei, fangs bared, claws ready.  
  
"Yusuke?" The small, wounded demon whispered, fighting to remain standing as he stared into those yellow eyes.  
  
The cat demon blinked, snarl fading, as if he was coming back to himself. He looked around at the bodies strewn around them, then back to the short demon before him. "Hiei?" He asked as if unused to using his voice. He stumbled forward, then fell unconscious into Hiei. The small demon stumbled, barely managing to catch him on his uninjured side, barely managing not to fall himself as he kept the taller boy propped against his shoulder.  
  
"You need healing. You both do."  
  
He ignored the female's voice, resting his forehead against the top of the head of the creature in his arms and closing his eyes, thankfully breathing in the scent that was unmistakably Yusuke. "You're alive." He whispered, barely believing the words coming from his own mouth. It was like a new concept. Alive. But what had happened?  
  
"Hiei? Are you listening to me?"  
  
"Why did you follow us here, mother?" He demanded icily, not bothering to open his eyes. "Surely not to ensure my safety. After all, you left me to my fate long ago, did you not?" The words weren't as bitter as they might have been, had he not been more concerned with Yusuke.  
  
"You have no idea how much I have always regretted what happened to you. If you would only allow me to explain. . . ."  
  
"A fine time to attempt making amends."  
  
She was silent for a long moment. "There isn't a town for miles." She said finally, voice brisk. "The closest place is the island. You two need shelter and care. I can get you in without anyone knowing. Let me do that, at least. Wouldn't you like to see your sister?"  
  
He shot her a glare. "I would rather not have her know me." He said acidly. "You should agree, after all you've done to help erase my existence."  
  
She bit her lip, then tried a different tactic. "Your friend might die out here if he doesn't receive help, and you wouldn't be long in joining him. Let me-"  
  
"Fine." He spat. "Do it. But be quick about it. It isn't as if you don't owe me."  
  
~  
  
He was floating. Floating in a darkness that seemed to last, to stretch on, forever and ever. But at least the floating was far better than what had come before. Before, he had been shut away in a small box of darkness, unable to hear or see, his cries for help swallowed up by the emptiness. Something had reached for him in that darkness and touched the deepest part of his soul and he, blind and desperate, had clung to it, used it to climb from his prison and knock down the fragile doors that waited atop. Then there had been the fierce light and he had reached out to it to fill himself and -  
  
And after that there was nothing.  
  
He floated in a sea of darkness completely unlike the darkness of his inner prison. He glanced up from the depths once in mild curiosity when the faint murmur of voices reached his ear. He swam up to the edge and although he was unwilling to break the surface, the voices grew somewhat clearer.  
  
"But he's burning up!"  
  
"You can't touch him with that; his spirit is too unstable. You put your power into him, and he's going to die."  
  
"Then what the hell am I supposed to do? Damn you, I won't loose him again; he's too important to me. TELL ME WHAT I'M SUPPOSED TO DO!!!"  
  
The voices didn't concern him, and he soon lost interest. A wave crashed down on him, picking him up, and he allowed it to carry him, retreating back into the depths and the gentle and quiet lapping of the waves.  
  
~  
  
To be continued  
  
Oh no! She made Yusuke's demon form different!  
  
Yes, I know I did. Yes, I even know what it actually looks like. I knew I was changing things when I did it. But as I've stated before, the real form isn't pretty enough for me, so I fixed it. If you complain, I probably won't acknowledge you, just to let you know. Please don't complain. I like my way better, and I love all of you so much, it really breaks my heart when I get yelled at.  
  
Well, that's it for now, anyway. I tried to make this chapter long, but this is about the best I can do. Hope no one was too upset over my little trick - I would never leave a fic with Kurama a slave, Yusuke a vegetable, and Hiei decapitated, I promise. Anyway, don't forget to review. I'll try to post more soon. 


	11. Chapter 11

Another thanks goes out to Keaira, for all her wonderful help. Um, this is nearing the end of the actual plot for this section of the story, but I was thinking originally to make it into a huge multi-crossover (those are fun) so let me know what you think, and if you have any suggestions for worlds for them to visit.  
  
Warnings: This is Yaoi. I own nothing.  
  
~  
  
Yusuke opened his eyes slowly, squinting in the sudden, unexpected light. Cool water trickled down the sides of his face and into his hair. It took him a moment to realize that the water came from a cool, wet washcloth being gently smoothed across his forehead.  
  
"Welcome back, detective." A familiar, yet strangely gentle voice said quietly near his ear.  
  
"Hiei?" He rasped, throat raw and dry.  
  
"Don't try to sit up yet; you've been asleep for a long time." He cautioned, dipping the washcloth in a small bowl of water and laying it carefully back on Yusuke's forehead. "How do you feel?" He asked as if he cared.  
  
Yusuke blinked in surprise - Hiei simply didn't ask questions like that, not with that tone of voice anyway. Nevertheless, the question brought him to take inventory of himself, and he was quite surprised. "I'm fine. I. . . .I feel better than ever."  
  
"Good." Hiei smiled.  
  
Yusuke yelped loudly and somehow managed to scramble out of bed and away from the dark haired demon. "You ain't Hiei!" He accused.  
  
He scowled, just as Hiei might have, and dropped the washcloth back into the small bowl. "Come now, detective, don't be such a fool." He spat, disgusted.  
  
"Hiei don't smile. Not ever. Uh-uh, no sir."  
  
"Am I not permitted to feel relief that you are not dead?"  
  
"Not if you're gonna act like that, you're not!"  
  
Hiei's scowl grew, and it was oddly comforting to see it. "You have been unconscious for nearly eight days, Yusuke, and if you do not get back into this bed this instant, I will ensure that you spend the rest of your life regretting it."  
  
"Now that's more like you." Yusuke sighed, relieved, as he climbed back underneath the covers, slightly dizzy.  
  
Hiei touched the back of his hand to his forehead as he lay back down and his face softened somewhat. "Good. You no longer have a fever, at least."  
  
"What the hell happened to me, Hiei?"  
  
"Why the hell did you jump in the way, fool?" He countered a touch harshly.  
  
Yusuke dropped his eyes and refused to look up. "Look, don't start with me, okay? I know you don't like me because I'm human, but I. . . . .when I heard what those guys were planning to do to you. . . .I couldn't just stand there and let it happen, you know? Not to you. I. . . .I like you, Hiei. I'm sorry, but that's the way I feel, and besides, Kurama. . . ."  
  
"Good. You should be fond of me." He smirked as Yusuke's head shot up and he stared at him through wide eyes. Hiei leaned closer. "As soon as we are both completely healed, detective, I will expect a great many things to change between us." He confided quietly.  
  
"Wh." Yusuke swallowed hard. "What do you mean?"  
  
"You know what I mean."  
  
And suddenly, Hiei's lips were on Yusuke's, hungry and demanding, gentle and firm, all at once.  
  
Yusuke stared stupidly as he pulled away, a very satisfied expression on the small demon's face. For the first time he realized the state his traveling companion was in: there were bandages wrapped around Hiei's stomach and over one shoulder. He wore only a pair of black silk boxers, and so the matching bandages encircling one thigh were plainly visible as well.  
  
"You're hurt." Was all he could say.  
  
"Just a fractured collar bone and a few stab wounds; nothing of any importance." Hiei said dismissively, leaning in for another kiss.  
  
Yusuke drew back. "What happened while I was out?" He demanded, hearing his own voice rise in panic.  
  
Hiei turned away. "Don't ask me to answer that."  
  
"Where are we? Can you answer that, at least?" Yusuke demanded, annoyed.  
  
"We're on the island of the ice demons. My. . . .my mother snuck us in." Plainly, he didn't like revealing that fact. "We will need to leave as soon as it is possible. If they catch us here. . . . .well, it won't be pretty."  
  
"How did she get us here so quickly? It took us weeks to get out of that forest."  
  
It wasn't Hiei who answered.  
  
"My manner of travel is an ice demon secret, not to be shared with anyone - especially not the likes of you." A feminine voice answered sharply. Entering the room was the pretty demoness who had let them leave the forest weeks ago.  
  
"You're Hiei's momma?" He blurted.  
  
She shot him a small frown, setting the tray she was carrying on a table. Yusuke no longer had any trouble seeing the family resemblance anymore as she rounded on him, fists planted on hips and expression stern. "Well, you could at least thank me for taking you in, considering all the risk I'm taking. Well, do you want a bath, or would you rather wallow in your own filth for a while longer?"  
  
"Can't I eat first?" He scowled, hating being bossed around.  
  
"It won't get cold. Come on now, up with you. Let's see if you can stand."  
  
Giving her his most stubborn look, Yusuke flipped back the covers and got to his feet - only to stumble and fall into Hiei, who deemed to catch him. Thankfully, it was his uninjured side.  
  
"I stood earlier." Yusuke muttered.  
  
Hiei's arm went around his waist to steady him before he released him, keeping a hand on his shoulder ready to more should he begin to sway. Yusuke took deep breaths, legs trembling. He would not fall twice in front of Hiei's mother. He extended his tail for extra balance, and -  
  
Tail?  
  
Yusuke twisted, staring down at his backside. "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!?!?!" He screamed.  
  
Hiei actually flinched. "I was hoping you wouldn't notice that yet."  
  
"You were hoping that I wouldn't notice a freakin' tail growin' outta my freakin' ass?" He demanded, somewhat shrilly. "Where's a mirror? Is this it, or is there more?"  
  
"There's more." Hiei admitted, voice quiet. He cast a cold glance at his mother and she decided to take the hint, slipping out of the room silently. Hiei sat on the edge of the bed and pulled the former human down with him. He actually looked. . . .hesitant. "You must understand, I thought you were gone, Yusuke. I tried to bring you back with my spirit energy but. . . .there was no response."  
  
"What happened?"  
  
Hiei reached up and touched Yusuke's ears, oddly enough. Ears that were much to far up on his head. "I'm not sure exactly how, detective, but. . . .you've become a cat demon."  
  
~  
  
She watched as he exited the room, making no sound. The way he moved broke her heart. It attested to a fighter, a warrior. Someone used to being careful because one slip up could mean his very life. It was her fault, because she was too weak to fight for him, and so he had grown up fighting for himself, instead.  
  
"Why hide in the shadows, mother?" He asked with a sigh, tone biting and bitter. "Afraid?"  
  
"Why won't you talk to me?" She implored, ignoring the question. Yes, she was afraid. He had every right to want vengeance from her by any means necessary, and she was sure he had the skills. "If I could only explain to you why it had to happen - ."  
  
"Words are empty and useless. You're only making me hate you more. Funny, I didn't know that was possible."  
  
"How's your friend?" She asked, rather than respond to the rather nasty comment.  
  
". . . . .asleep."  
  
"Why must you have that tone with me, Hiei?" She demanded finally, her temper getting the better of her. The desire to reclaim her son was strong, but as it is with all emotions, when their strong enough they spur one into acts one regrets later. "I died the day they took you from me." She said in anguish. "My soul died, my hope. They wouldn't let me follow you into oblivion, Hiei, otherwise I wouldn't be here now. They said I didn't deserve the quiet of the grave; that I needed to live with the result of my actions forever on my conscious. That's when I became Yameruki; that's when I became a warrior. We're survivors, you and I, my darling boy. We adapt, but we don't forget, do we? Don't you see?"  
  
"Enough!" He snarled, turning his back on her.  
  
"Do you think I wanted them to take you? I didn't care about the prophecy; I didn't care that it said you would destroy us one day. You were mine. I tried, Hiei. I did."  
  
"The detective and I will be leaving as soon as I am convinced he has recovered well enough to travel. As for my own injuries, I don't give a damn. But if you follow us again don't think for a moment that I won't kill you, even if you are helping us. I don't claim to understand your twisted reasoning. The thought of going into your mind nauseates me, and I will not be at peace until I am far from you. The detective and I. . . .we're going after our fox. Nothing will stand in our way. Nothing will stop us."  
  
"Your fox?" She asked, startled.  
  
"Medu will soon suffer a painful and humiliating death for daring to touch -"  
  
"Hiei, no!" He turned a cold eye on her and she continued on in a rush. "You want to take the fox demon she's recently acquired?" She asked. She didn't need his cold nod for clarification; she knew with an odd certainty that that was in deed the case. She had heard the rumors. The legendary youko Kurama captured and obedient to the every whim of Medu. "You can't mean him, can you? How would you even know someone so dangerous? What are you doing with a monster like that? Let her have him; fiends such as they deserve each other, and he deserves everything he gets, if even half of the rumors about him are true." She stopped as Hiei turned furiously on her, backing up until she hit the wall.  
  
"You truly understand nothing, do you?" He snarled. "Pray that once my kitten and I leave this place you never see any of us again. If you do, we will surely be the last things you ever see."  
  
~  
  
Yusuke glared hatefully into the mirror, despising what he saw. Delicately pointed black cat ears were flattened in agitation against his head, and his long, luxuriously furred tail flicked back and forth as another testament to his intense irritation. The other changes in him were more subtle - he was more graceful, body more lithe. His eyes were slimmer and slightly more tilted, his regular shade of velvety brown unless he felt an emotion strongly, then they became golden and the pupils became elongated and cat-slit.  
  
He had claws, too, when he wanted them. And his spirit energy was through the roof.  
  
He was, in a word, miserable.  
  
It wasn't that he particularly hated the transformation that had come over him; he didn't really care if he was human anymore or not - after all, his life as a human had pretty much sucked up until he had come to live with Kurama - and the extended amount of time a demon body could live when compared to a human's was good, too, but. . . .  
  
But it was the entire reason, he knew, that Hiei was suddenly so very willing to have a relationship with him.  
  
Through the mirror he watched as Hiei's mother entered and began gathering up his breakfast plates. In order to ensure that they weren't found out, she had to bring and take all his meals (who knew what Hiei did when he wanted to eat; he came and left as if he didn't care that it was dangerous.) At first Yusuke had felt guilty about letting the demoness act as a servant, but he no longer cared anymore. After what she had done to Hiei, and how much he apparently hated her, he couldn't really summon up nay guilt.  
  
"Yusuke," Yameruki said suddenly, glancing at the bathroom door - Hiei was in there bathing - before stepping closer, lowering her voice and producing a small draw string bag from up her sleeve. "I have something for you. . . ."  
  
Why did she sound so hesitant?  
  
Yusuke took the offered bag warily and emptied a portion of its contents into his hand. "What's this supposed to be?" He asked as he shifted through the handful of small, dark jewels.  
  
She didn't answer. "He cares for you; you need to know that." She said instead.  
  
"Yeah." He snorted. "He cares a whole lot now that I'm not human."  
  
She took another step closer. "Those are the tears he cried for you," She whispered, closing his fingers around the gems. "When he thought you were dead. I thought you should have them. Hiei. . . . .Hiei doesn't know that I took them from where he left them in the snow." She tilted her head as if listening to something, then, smiling slightly, she quickly left.  
  
Yusuke barely noticed as he stared at the tear gems, mouth slightly agape.  
  
"What do you have there, detective?"  
  
Yusuke glanced up. Hiei stood in the bathroom doorway with a towel wrapped around his waist, water droplets shining on his chest. Yusuke smiled slightly, letting the small jewels fall back inside the bag with their fellows and placing them on the dresser.  
  
"Nothing." He answered. "Hiei, I was thinking about something."  
  
"Oh? Am I supposed to be impressed?"  
  
The former human took a deep breath before forcing himself to cross the room to stand before the smaller demon. "Are your wounds almost healed?"  
  
"Yes. Are you anxious to continue on our journey, then? I told you, my 'mother' has agreed to take us as close to Medu's fortress as she can; it's the least she owes me. We'll have him back soon."  
  
"Good. But. . . .that's not exactly why I was asking."  
  
Hiei crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow, expression unreadable. "Oh?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Before he could give himself time to change his mind, Yusuke stepped forward and caught Hiei's face in his hands, kissing him as deeply as he dared, putting into it everything he felt, everything he had. His relief was immense as he felt Hiei smirk, his arms closing tightly around him.  
  
~  
  
To Be Continued 


	12. Chapter 12

All right, notes for this installment: Um. . . . .oh, as I said last chapter, I'm thinking about turning this into a huge multi-crossover after I finish with the main plotline; sending my little group to any other world I can think of just to see what would happen. If you're completely adverse to the idea, let me know before I finish this. If you have a request or suggestion, let me know and if I'm familiar with the world (and like it enough) I'll do it. If not, after the whole Kurama thing, they'll probably have one or two more little adventures (maybe something to do with Yusuke's demon blood and Hiei's prophecy) and it'll be over. Well, I'm going to go into the other stuff anyway, I just think it would be more fun if I did some crossovers while I was at it, but let me know.  
  
Warnings: 1. Yaoi 2. I own nothing 3. Kurama's rescue might be a little anticlimactic 4. Mushy-stuff  
  
~  
  
Hiei held the sleeping cat demon securely in his arms, luxuriating in the scent of him as he idly ran his fingers through the long, silky black hair which had earlier been loosed from its usual leather tie and now flowed like some dark river over pale, well-muscled shoulders.  
  
It felt natural having Yusuke there with him; natural and right. It was something he had waited for, anticipated, for a very long time. Too long. And it was such a comfort to be near another person again, separated only by skin, listening to a strong, steady heartbeat and knowing he was not alone.  
  
He wasn't sure what had pushed Yusuke into taking that final step and allowing their feelings for one another to progress to the point they had both yearned for, without being willing to admit it, almost since the moment they had meant. Hiei was willing to admit that, from his side anyway, there had always been attraction. He knew he would forever be grateful for whatever had finally pushed the beautiful detective he had so long admired into his arms. If he had had to wait much longer he was sure he would have done something. . . .desperate and regrettable.  
  
Laying there with Yusuke clutched tightly to him, Hiei was suddenly nearly overcome with a deep, intense longing to have Kurama back. Quite suddenly he missed his vibrant, red-haired fox more than he had since the object of his first love had been stolen from him. It had been one of Kurama's fondest, deepest wishes that Hiei and Yusuke accept each other as lovers so the three of them could all be together. If Hiei hadn't been so selfish and stubborn, they could have had more time together.  
  
Why had he waited? He had always wanted Yusuke; why had he let his own pride keep him from the human boy and from Kurama's deepest wishes?  
  
He loved Kurama; had loved him for a very long time - one injured soul reaching for another. He loved Yusuke just as much, he realized, although he couldn't understand the connection, or how it had happened without his noticing it. He could have been in love with him for months without ever noticing it.  
  
Nestling his nose in Yusuke's hair and pulling him even closer to him, Hiei closed his eyes and smiled. No more needlessly wasting time; tomorrow they would take back their fox, and then the three of them could spend their lives together for real. Yes, that's what he needed. What they all needed.  
  
Hiei drifted off to sleep.  
  
~  
  
Kurama sat on the small step that lad up to Medu's overly ornate jewel studded throne, impassively watching a farmer - a particularly ugly demon in warn, rugged clothes - plead for the cold-hearted demoness to release his family from the dungeons. They were being held because the farmer had gotten into a fight with one of Medu's favorite nobles over a pretty daughter the noble had taken an interest in.  
  
The farmer's lands had been seized, his daughter passed around the nobles, and the rest of his rather large family imprisoned.  
  
As she listened to his heartfelt pleas, Medu idly reached down and patted Kurama's head as if he were her loyal hound. He permitted it, past the point where he would have tried to remove the offending hand. Medu would never allow the farmer or his family to go free, Kurama knew. She just enjoyed watching people grovel.  
  
Gibbering, the man crawled forward on his hands and knees, kissing the hem of her dress and begging her mercy.  
  
Medu laughed, kicking him away with a daintily slippered foot.  
  
"You're beginning to bore me, peasant." She said lazily, long fingernails combing idly through Kurama's hair. "Shall I have my youko here take care of you and your loved ones? Would that solve your problem? It would certainly solve mine." She began to scratch behind his ears and he tried not to think about all the innocents he had already been forced to slaughter. There was a time when his actions wouldn't have bothered him, not even when they were at another's urging, but he was a different youko than he had once been. He detested the thought of using his power purely for her amusement. But what choice did he have, really?  
  
Fear filled the farmer's eyes as he turned his stare on Kurama, who up until this point he had avoided looking at. With an alarmed cry, he staggered away from the throne.  
  
Before Medu could give the order for him to attack, a guard stumbled into the throne room, bowing low. "You're majesty," He panted, eyes wide and desperate, almost mad. "F. . . .Forgive my intrusion, but there's. . . there's some intruders at the gates. They. . . .they're very insistent about seeing you!" Before he could say more he gurgled suddenly, eyes going wide, as a sword unexpectedly protruded through his chest.  
  
"I hope you don't mind, but we let ourselves in." Hiei said with a smirk, withdrawing his blade and wiping it unceremoniously on the guard's uniform. "Your servants here are somewhat less than competent. Don't worry though, we've taken the liberty of dispatching them. Good help is so hard to find these days, unless you steal it, that is. Hello Kurama."  
  
"You'd almost think those guys out there didn't wanna' let us in." Yusuke laughed, crossing his arms over his chest. He exchanged an amused look with Hiei, as if the two of them were enjoying themselves.  
  
"Imaging that." Hiei commented dryly.  
  
"What are the two of you doing here?" Medu demanded shrilly, standing abruptly. "Guards! Guards!"  
  
"Sorry, they had a little. . . .accident." Yusuke answered darkly. "Or didn't you get what Hiei meant when he said that he had dispatched them?" Once more the shared glance of amusement.  
  
Meanwhile, Kurama's heart was a lead ball inside his chest. They had come, dooming themselves. Everything he had done to ensure their safety was a waste because they weren't smart enough to just stay away. Noble-minded fools, couldn't they have gone home and consoled each other, forgetting him eventually in safety?  
  
But it was so good to see them. He couldn't, in fact, tear his eyes away; he had never seen anything more beautiful in all his life. Hiei, dressed in his usual blacks, the glare in his eyes a direct contrast to the amused twist to his mouth. And Yusuke, hair a little longer and glossier than he remembered, dressed in a pair of tight jeans and a green shirt, a fuzzy belt around his waist and a yellow and green bandana covering the top of his head. A trick of the light made his eyes appear strange, but Kurama didn't care.  
  
Seeing the two of them standing before them was better, far, far better than staring at the illusions Medu provided to remind him to behave. His heart wrenched at the sight of them.  
  
"Why are you here?" Medu demanded. "Surely you know that it's useless. Youko is loyal to me now. Even if you could, miraculously defeat me, he wouldn't want you anymore anyway."  
  
Kurama lowered his eyes in shame, unwilling to see their expressions.  
  
"We came t' take back what's ours," He heard Yusuke say defiantly. "If he don't wanna come, that's fine, but we're not letting you have him, either. You can make this easy or hard, but we ain't leaving without you."  
  
"He would never go with you. He doesn't want to. Tell them so, Youko."  
  
Kurama flinched, forcing the lie from his mouth. "Yes, that is true." He said quietly. His head shot up as he heard a furious growl and he barely had time to register that it came from Yusuke before the tough little human launched himself at Medu.  
  
Hiei was suddenly at Kurama's side, pulling him to his feet. "Come on, we'll leave her to the detective."  
  
"But Yusuke has no chance of winning . . . ." He protested weakly.  
  
"He can handle it. Besides," Hiei scowled darkly. "He won the right to be the one to kill her. I think he cheated, but he won anyway. Don't worry, he knows where to meet us." His arm slipped around Kurama as he began to lead him away. "Damn, what happened to you, fox?"  
  
"Hiei, you know how dangerous Medu is. It would take all three of us - "  
  
"Yusuke can take care of her on his own; his anger fuels him. Besides, you give that bitch more credit than she is worth. She may be a dangerous adversary, but her power itself isn't very impressive. You, of all people, should have realized this. Has she drugged you?"  
  
"I. . . ."  
  
Hiei turned and embraced him suddenly. "No matter, we'll deal with it once you're out of here. You'll see, Kurama. So much as changed." He smirked as he pulled away. "You'll see." He repeated, pulling him down the long corridor. "I would rather be fighting Medu myself, but I have complete confidence in our detective. That, in itself, is a large enough change, don't you think?"  
  
A scream ripped through the throne room.  
  
"We should hurry." Hiei decided.  
  
The haze around Kurama began to clear a little, and he squeezed Hiei's hand. "I had thought to protect the two of you." He chuckled helplessly, running alongside his longtime love. His feelings of powerlessness slowly began to diminish with the exercise. Had he been drugged? "I did not expect my departure from this place to happen, much less so easily."  
  
"Medu makes herself appear more powerful than she really is." Hiei said, tone of voice relaying his hatred toward the object of their conversation. "When you get rid of all her little soldiers and refuse to let her catch you by surprise, she really isn't all that impressive."  
  
"Yet, how did you arrive here so quickly? With Yusuke with you, I imagine you couldn't travel nearly so fast as you normally would. Medu wasn't expecting a rescue attempt for at least another month. Shje would have been ready for you then, and I. . . .I may have not been in much of a state to be rescued. She almost forced me to be a monster again. You remember how it was when I had no hope, do you not?"  
  
"You were never a monster." He snorted.  
  
"Never mind that, we can argue about my past later. Yet once more I must ask, how did you arrive so swiftly?"  
  
Hiei scowled. "My mother gave us a lift."  
  
Kurama came to an abrupt stop, forcing Hiei to do the same, to turn and face him. "You've seen your mother?"  
  
Hiei took his face in his hands and kissed him soundly, surprising him. "There will be time for explanations later, fox." He said, tone scolding, as if Kurama had forced him to kiss him rather than continue with the escape. "Right now we run. I won't take the risk of losing you again."  
  
Screams were now coming more frequently from the throne room. Kurama sent up a quick prayer that they came from Medu, and ran.  
  
~  
  
The campsite Hiei let him to was small, the snow cleared away and the ground dried by Hiei's power. Wood waited for a fire, and the bedrolls were already laid out and zipped together so they would hold more than one person. It was a good, well-hidden and quiet spot.  
  
Hiei started the fire and began preparing items for cooking as if he weren't the least bit concerned for Yusuke's well being. Kurama took a seat on a fallen log and reverted, thankfully, back to his human form, tired and content merely to watch Hiei move. He had decided that he definitely had been drugged, which made sense, but not knowing what it had been, we wasn't willing to take the risk and create a possible antidote. The effects would have to wear off on their own.  
  
"Was she much trouble?" Hiei asked suddenly, not bothering to turn around.  
  
Kurama sat up straighter, twisting around in his seat as he head Yusuke's answering laugh. Confident and familiar and. . . . .how had he missed his arrival?  
  
"Course not." Yusuke answered, leaping agilely off the rock outcropping that the camp was sheltered under. "I guess maybe there's some advantages to what happened after all." He took a delicate sniff of the air. "What'cha cooking?"  
  
"Food." Hiei grunted.  
  
Yusuke's response was dripping with sarcasm. "Gee, I had no idea." He examined his nails with a grimace. For some reason, he had grown them out so that they greatly resembled claws, and filing them to sharpness. They were dripping with what he was sure was Medu's blood. "Can I have some water?"  
  
Barely pausing in his cooking, Hiei scooped snow into a bucket and melted it, passing it over.  
  
Yusuke took a seat next to Kurama on the log and began carefully washing his hands. Kurama wondered why his newest lover seemed to be ignoring him.  
  
"It's good to see you again, Yusuke." He said quietly. Yusuke didn't answer, seemingly intent on his nails. Hurt, Kurama tried again. "Did you not miss me, Yusuke?"  
  
He flexed his right hand, and Kurama watched in amazement as the nails retracted into a normal length and shape. The boy grimaced and retracted the others before hesitantly meeting Kurama's stare. His eyes flickered from the beautiful brown Kurama had dreamed of for so long to yellow. From his normal warm, human eyes to liquid cat-slit. Kurama couldn't stop himself, reaching out to touch the precious face that seemed slightly. . . .different.  
  
"Yusuke? What. . . .what happened to you?"  
  
Yusuke lowered his eyes and turned away. "I had a little accident." He grumbled. Hiei snorted and the boy's head shot up. Yellow eyed, he glared furiously at the small demon. "Well, how would you explain it then, mister I-know-everything-and-so-everyone-else-is-stupid?"  
  
Hiei glanced up from his cooking calmly, eyes dark. "Kurama, Yusuke was hit by a kokoro ball."  
  
"WHAT?!?!"  
  
He nodded. "We are not sure what happened, but somehow. . . somehow Yusuke has become a demon. A very powerful, full-blooded demon."  
  
"How?" Kurama rasped uselessly, staring.  
  
Yusuke shrugged miserably, and the "belt" around his waist unwound itself to reveal itself to be, of all things, a tail.  
  
"Show him the other." Hiei commanded with an amused smirk.  
  
"No."  
  
"What other? There's more?"  
  
"Do it, Yusuke. It' my favorite part."  
  
"That's because you're a sadistic bastard." He grumbled sullenly, reluctantly reaching up to pull the bandana off his head, revealing two fuzzy black ears. "There, satisfied, ya jerk?"  
  
Hiei actually went so far as to smile slightly, giving a slight nod before returning to his task.  
  
Kurama couldn't pull his eyes away. Yusuke had always been pretty, but now there was just something more. He seemed more natural, and that brought out an undeniable beauty that Kurama had never before imagined.  
  
"You wanna touch them, don't you?" Yusuke sighed.  
  
He hadn't thought about it, but not Kurama realized that he did, indeed want to. "May I?"  
  
Yusuke scooted closer and nodded. Kurama was struck by a sudden realization. "You do not like your new form, my dear? It's very attractive." He let his hand drop from the satin ear to the silken hair, which he gathered up and kissed lightly.  
  
Yusuke's ears flattened. "Hiei won't quit calling me Kitten." He grumbled.  
  
Kurama heard a strange noise, and realized that Hiei was laughing. Yusuke's scowl grew and his cheeks became red. He fidgeted uncomfortably.  
  
Kurama smiled. "Well, I think that it is very. . . . ."  
  
"Don't you dare say cute." He growled.  
  
Hiei only laughed harder.  
  
The moment was almost enough to make Kurama forget where he had been, what had been done to him. He was with the two people he loved most, but everything was different. Did he even fit here anymore?  
  
Suddenly, Yusuke's hand covered his own. The boy was blushing lightly, refusing to meet his eyes. "I missed you, Kurama." He said quietly.  
  
"And I, you." Kurama squeezed his hand and tilted his face up so he could look into his eyes. They were yellow now, he noticed. "I thought about you all the time. Both of you."  
  
Hiei smiled slightly over the cooking food. "Out kitten needs your assurance more than I, fox."  
  
"Quit callin' me kitten, three eyes."  
  
"Make me."  
  
"Screw you!"  
  
"Later."  
  
Yusuke's face immediately grew bright red. "Th. . . .that is not what I meant and you know it, Hiei."  
  
"Still. The offer stands."  
  
"You better apologize first then."  
  
"No. You know you can't resist my sexy body."  
  
"That's beside the point! If you don't apologize - !"  
  
Yes, something had definitely changed. As the two continued to bicker, Kurama found himself smiling for the first time in a long time.  
  
~  
  
To Be Continued  
  
Man, it's really hard to find really good yaoi on ff.net. If anyone knows of any, please let me know. Maybe I'm not looking right. 


	13. Chapter 13

"I just don't think it's a good idea. Period."  
  
"Ohhh! Why do you have to be so stubborn, Yusuke?" Boton stamped her foot daintily. "This isn't evcen a difficult thing I'm asking!"  
  
"I just don't think it would be good for him, that's all." Yusuke lowered his voice, glancing through the doorway into the living room, where his red haired lover sat on the couch reading the paper. "Kurama just hasn't been the same since we got back," He said quietly. "And Hiei and I both agree that we should wait before going on any more missions. He needs to get used to real life, and being safe, again before being plunged back into battle. And he doesn't need a lot of other people around him. I mean, I still sometimes catch him flinch when we touch him."  
  
"But Yusuke-!"  
  
"He's getting better – I'm not saying he's not. But until I have the old Kurama back it's no to any new missions, even solo ones, and the same goes for Hiei." The urge to flick his tail in irritation was immense, but he fought it nonetheless, keeping the furry appendage tucked safely around his waist. He would like to keep that little secret of his from Boton for as long as possible.  
  
"This isn't even like a real mission; would you just hear me out?"  
  
He could hear Hiei coming down the stairs and knew the man would be most unhappy to find Boton there, begging missions. "Look, the answer's no, all right? No."  
  
"No to what?"  
  
Yusuke nearly jumped out of his skin, turning slowly to look at Kurama. The red-haired boy had raised his head from the newspaper and was looking at the two figures standing in the doorway with all of a fox's curiosity.  
  
"Nothing!"  
  
"Oh, Kurama, Yusuke's being so mean!" Boton wailed, forcing her way into their home. "All I want is for him to go on a simple little exorcism mission for me and he won't! It's not even a dangerous one! And I really need him, too!"  
  
Kurama's brows knit with concern. "Why ever won't you go, Yusuke? If you are needed, then you have a duty to go, do you not? It is your job, after all."  
  
"Yeah, but..."  
  
"And why have you not invited Boton inside? Truly, my dear, have you forgotten your manners completely?"  
  
"Oh, that's so nice of you, Kurama." She simpered, stepping past the sputtering Yusuke.  
  
Kurama set the newspaper aside. "You will have to forgive my kitten for being inconsiderate."  
  
"Kitten?" She asked.  
  
"Just a new nickname he made up for me." Yusuke said quickly, shooting his lover a look. The other demon merely smiled his small, detached smile and made no comment, though he knew that Yusuke's new form embarrassed the former human to no end.  
  
"So, what is this mission Yusuke is so adamantly refusing?"  
  
"Nothing much, just a haunting in an apartment building nearby. Nothing dangerous, nothing with possible consequences affecting the future of mankind. I thought it would be a nice break for you three after your last mission; something easy to get you back in the habit."  
  
"Why it sounds fine. Yusuke, why would you refuse, my dear? It has been months since we returned from Makai."  
  
"I...um...well..."  
  
"What's going on in here?"  
  
Yusuke stifled a groan as his other lover walked into the living room, the expression on his face saying that he felt threatened. Yusuke knew he should have told him when the orders for the mission had first come in, but he had grown so protective of Kurama and, strangely enough, Yusuke as well, that Yusuke had hoped to avoid further trouble by taking care of it on his own.  
  
"We have a mission, my dear." Kurama informed him with a smile.  
  
Hiei's expression hardened and he shot Yusuke an accusatory look before glaring at Boton. "No."  
  
"No?"  
  
"No missions. We've earned out right to stay in this wretched little world, as far as I'm concerned, even though I'd just as soon be somewhere else. You have no further hold on me, my fox, or my kitten."  
  
"Hold?" She sounded scandalized. "Why, I've never been so insulted in my life! How dare you pretend I somehow coerced you three into taking missions when you did it of your own free will."  
  
Hiei crossed his arms over his chest and intensified his glare, opening his mouth to answer.  
  
"Please disregard my lovers' rudeness, Boton. Of course we will go on the mission." Kurama smiled, holding out his hand to accept the envelope of instructions which Boton happily handed over before leaving as quickly as she could. Kurama watched her go with a smile before turning a disapproving look on his lovers, who were currently hissing insults at each other. "I know exactly what you two think you are doing, and so I will tell you right now – stop it. I am not so fragile that I cannot handle a simple mission such as this one, whatever you may think"  
  
"But..."  
  
"I also know that you two are going to continue to argue over whose responsible for not protecting the poor, damaged fox. As to this, I know how arguing turns you on and so I will not ask you to stop, only that you choose another topic for debate and come and inform me when you are ready for sex." He folded up the paper and stood, exiting the room.  
  
Hiei and Yusuke were silent a long moment.  
  
"You're short." Yusuke said finally.  
  
"Kitten." Hiei sneered.  
  
"Baka."  
  
"Punk."  
  
"Wanna go get Kurama now?"  
  
"...Sure."  
  
~  
  
To Be Continued  
  
I'll be updating on ATR soon, and my new fic "Twilight" as well as this one. But it may take a while, so be patient, please. 


	14. Chapter 14

All right, time to start work on the next chappie. Well, I've decided the first place to make a crossover would have to be Gravitation. I've recently discovered this title and it's become one of my favorites (it's shounen-ai! Yay!) Anyway, don't worry if you haven't heard of it, because it's not really going to matter. Nothing I cross this over with will matter except for my own amusement's sake (and yours too, I assume.) If you haven't heard of Gravi, look into it – it's worth it. Books-a-million carries it (Volume five is out in April! Squee!)  
  
My kitten had his claw taken out and was "fixed" yesterday. I can't wait to go pick him up after school, poor darling. I feel so bad for him, I'm wearing his collar as an anklet. It has a jingle bell on it, so it sounds like he's nearby when I walk.  
  
In this chapter I finally answer the burning question: What happened to Kuwabara? (Don't you wish we could just ignore him completely? *giggles*)  
  
Disclaimers: I own nothing and this is yaoi  
  
~  
  
"This looks like the place." Yusuke decided, flipping long strands of dark hair over his shoulder and checking the address on the little card one more. "Let's just get this over with."  
  
"I find it amusing that you are so offended at such a simple case when you did not want to accept it in the first place." Kurama teased quietly from behind him, carefully lifting Yusuke's hair from his neck and twisting it a few times before laying it over the boy's shoulder. He knew how much the long mass got on his young lover's nerves. They had tried cutting it once, and it had only grown back in a few days (much to Kurama's secret pleasure – he preferred it long.)  
  
None of Yusuke's friends knew of the transformation which he had gone though, and the newly-made cat demon wanted to keep it that way. Kurama was happy to oblige – when Yusuke was ducking his friends it meant he had more time for his lovers – although Hiei seemed to take some kind of sick satisfaction out of making oblique comments and hints as to what had happened when the humans were around, effectively driving Yusuke crazy. Personally, Kurama thought it was revenge for all the times Yusuke had taunted the short demon about his sister, but whether it was or not, Hiei refused to admit.  
  
Besides, angering each other seemed to turn the two of them on, and so Kurama was happy to let it continue. Their little spats were no longer meant in earnest, but were rather a kind of flirting game with them. At first Kurama had worried that they were not getting along as lovers and would ruin the tidy little threesome he had created, but had soon discovered (after speaking to each of them without the other's knowledge) that they actually loved each other. He was thankful for that, thankful that they had settled it and he was able to come home to both of his loves after his long ordeal.  
  
"Are you going to knock or are you going to just stare at the door, kitten?" Hiei asked bitingly.  
  
Yusuke shot the short demon a scowl. "Shut up, apple dumpling."  
  
Yusuke despised being called kitten, as it was both a taunt, and a rather embarrassing term of endearment. So that was his new name, according to Hiei. Yusuke's response was, of course, to find a suitable name to call Hiei in return, however nothing seemed to phase the shorter demon. Kurama had tried to help think up names, but nothing had worked as of yet. It may have been possible that there was nothing that would embarrass Hiei, although, that couldn't be true.  
  
"Is that the best you can do?" Hiei snorted.  
  
"Hey, cupcake, I'm trying, all right?" He growled.  
  
Kurama sighed and rolled his eyes, gracefully raising his hand to knock on the door before them. "Children, children. Must I remind you again to play nice?" He asked with a small, amused smile.  
  
There was a rustle on the other side of the door, and the sound of someone yelling. Then the door swung open violently.  
  
"What?"  
  
Kurama took a moment to observe the person who had answered the door, knowing full well how most people who yelled like that despised it when their bad moods held no affect over others. The man was tall with disheveled blonde/brown hair and cold golden eyes, and he wore his loose white shirt mostly unbuttoned. Kurama had time for this much of an observation before he sensed Yusuke bristling at the rudeness and calmly placed his hand on his shoulder and offered the man a cool smile.  
  
"We have come about the exorcism? An object of yours is possessed, I believe? At least, that was the report."  
  
The man stared at him, scowling, for a moment, a cigarette held carelessly between two fingers of one hand, an opened can of beer in the other. He was barefoot, Kurama also noted, and there was a pair of glasses in the front pocket of his shirt. "We called about that days ago."  
  
"Yes, our apologies." Kurama smiled, giving Yusuke's shoulder a squeeze when he felt he was about to speak. He was only thankful that Hiei didn't care enough to cause trouble with the human. "However, you must realize that our organization is small, and very busy." He half-lied. The number the man had most likely called was under the guise of a psychic spirit detective agency – the kind commonly seen on television shows such as Unsolved Mysteries. The purpose, of course, was to receive word of paranormal activity spirit world should be made aware of without alerting humans to its presence. Only the weak and low ranking usually took the cases. "I am Kurama, and my associates are known as Hiei and Yusuke."  
  
"No last names? You freaks are pretty into it." He scowled, looking them over once more. "Eiri Yuki." He said finally, obviously not planning to shake hands. "You know, your company wouldn't be so damn busy if you wouldn't send three people for something like this."  
  
"Just be glad we showed up at all." Yusuke growled.  
  
"Quiet, my dear. The grownups are talking." Kurama said quietly, annoyed that the cat demon didn't know any better yet. He couldn't allow the actions of humans to affect him. It simply wasn't done! He offered Yuki a smile. "May we come in?"  
  
"I don't want you here. I don't believe in that paranormal shit."  
  
"Then who called us?"  
  
"It was..."  
  
He was interrupted by a shout, something that sounded like "Yuuuuuukkkkkkiiiii! Is it them? Is it them? Is it them? Is it them? Is it them? Is it them? Is it them? Is it them? Is it them? Is it them? Is it them? Is it them? Is it them? Is it them? Is it them?"  
  
"YES!" He shouted finally. "Would you shut the hell up?!"  
  
A boy squeezed past him through the door. He seemed to be of a similar age with Yusuke, and had pink hair. Unlike Yusuke, he seemed very cheerful and bubbly. "Are you the detectives?"  
  
"Yusuke is the detective. Hiei and I are merely...assistants."  
  
Hiei snorted and said something rude under his breath, retreating further into his anti-social attitude.  
  
"I'm Shuichi, Shuichi Shindou. Can you really get the ghosts out of Yuki's computer? They won't let him work, and he gets cranky when he can't work, like...well, you see how he is."  
  
"Shut up, brat." He growled.  
  
"See? Cranky. Here, come on in. Yuki, get out of the way so they can come inside." He ignored the man's growls and curses and somehow managed to make room for the three demons to pass through the door, leading them from the entrance hall to the living room where they all took seats. Shuichi sat near Yuki carefully, as if he wasn't quite sure he was allowed to. After a few moments he seemed to relax visibly and even leaned into the man.  
  
Interesting.  
  
"So, tell us about these...ghosts, you said?" Yusuke asked, grinning. He had the light in his eyes that meant he was ready for a challenge, or at least a brawl. He had decided, apparently, to make the best of the bad mission they had been given. He was probably also cheered by the fact neither man seemed to notice that he was somewhat less than human. One reason he had been avoiding all contact with friends was the fear that they would notice his change. Also the fact that Kuwabara was ready to kill him for leaving him stranded all alone in a demon town may have something to do with that avoidance. Yusuke claimed they had had no choice but to abandon him to go after Kurama, but Hiei admitted that he had hoped that the rather annoying human would conveniently disappear, hopefully into an unmarked and early grave.  
  
No, actually. According to Botan, the red haired lout had woken up with even the clothes stolen from his back and a horrible headache. The only reason, Kurama guessed, that he had been left alive long enough for Botan to realize something was wrong and come to get him was not his fighting prowess, but rather the fact he was too ugly for anyone to want to eat or otherwise bother.  
  
"Well, it started a week or two ago." Shuichi began, brushing long magenta- colored bangs from his eyes. "I was just getting home from a concert – I'm in a band called Bad Luck, have you heard of us?" He asked eagerly. "We just got out fist single released a while ago!"  
  
"Shut up and answer the question." Hiei growled.  
  
Yuki shifted, sending the short demon a glare which the slightly pouting Shuichi didn't catch.  
  
Very interesting.  
  
"A...anyway, I went into Yuki's office to say goodnight," a slight blush across his cheeks suggested that wasn't quite exactly what he had had planned, and he continued quickly. "And I noticed that he had fallen asleep while working on his novel, so I decided I would try to wake him up and get him to come...er, go to bed." The blush darkened.  
  
Very interesting indeed.  
  
"He was just waking up when I noticed that the paint box was open and there was a little drawing that looked like...um, well, there was a lot of blood and then there were two people and um...anyway, I asked him why he would draw something like that, and he said that he didn't know what I was talking about so I showed him and he said he didn't do it and I better stop acting like a damn child or he'd make me go home."  
  
"He whines and it's very nasal." Yuki said coldly, as if excusing his behavior.  
  
Shuichi rounded on him. "I do not...!" He began, face even more red.  
  
"Please, continue your lover's spat later," Kurama requested calmly, feeling deep satisfaction at their looks of shock that he had discovered the truth so soon. Yusuke and Hiei were looking at him doubtfully – they hadn't seen it. Kurama would wager almost anything that the two boys before him were both very much in love, although he was doubtful Yuki would admit to it. Hence the harshness. "Now, what sort of things had this...ghost...done? A drawing is little evidence, I'm afraid."  
  
Shuichi stared a moment more before answering. "All Yuki's files were deleted and replaced by really mean, violent messages and I went in there once and stuff was flying around and there was blood all over the computer and It had glowy red eyes and a mouth filled with sharp teeth and it almost bit me."  
  
"It did not." Yuki contradicted coldly.  
  
"Well, it tried to."  
  
"You ran away before it could even consider it."  
  
"It bit you!"  
  
Kurama's ears perked. "Is this true?"  
  
"Might explain the attitude." Yusuke mumbled.  
  
"No, my Yuki's like that all the time."  
  
"Please, may I see?" Kurama asked, leaning forward in his chair and swiping strands of long red hair over his shoulder.  
  
Yuki scowled at him but set down the beer can he had of yet to have taken a drink from and placed his cigarette in an ash tray before rolling up his sleeve and leaning forward so they could take a look. "It's nothing. Didn't even bleed."  
  
"I told him to put peroxide on it, but he refused."  
  
Kurama leaned away from the slightly blackening wound, nose picking up a slight stench which neither of the humans had probably noticed as he exchanged troubled glances with Hiei.  
  
"Gross." Yusuke said, reaching forward to touch it.  
  
Kurama snatched his hand back with just a little less calm than he would have preferred, looking to Shuichi. "Has your skin come into contact with this wound?" He demanded, feeling Yusuke's eyes on him. He kept his hold on the cat demon's arm, gripping a little tighter than necessary.  
  
"No, Yuki hasn't let us have se...I mean, no." He answered, looking troubled. "What's wrong? Is it bad?"  
  
"Bad enough to kill you both." Hiei said coldly, eyes locked on the wound and a small scowl on his face. Shuichi's countenance went deathly pale and Kurama hurried to reassure him.  
  
"Without proper treatment it is certainly enough to kill. You are very lucky we came here when we did. I am more than qualified to deal with this. We should move you to a bed, Yuki-san. Right now."  
  
"Tryxidion's work." Hiei grumbled. "I didn't even know he was still alive."  
  
~  
  
To be Continued  
  
Um, yeah, that's it for now. I hope I made Yuki and Shu-chan in character; I don't write them often. I really don't want those of you who haven't read Gravi to think badly of either of them. Yeah, Yuki's a mean bastard and yeah, Shuichi's a major spazz, but they have redeeming qualities! And they're such a cute couple! 


	15. Chapter 15

Alright, new chappie! Okay, I thought it might be good if I answered some questions, since I don't do that as much as I should. (Don't be upset with me, but I didn't write down who asked what and I don't feel like looking it up, so I'm just going to list them. If I forget your question, please ask again.) A while back someone asked if I was going to do a lemon for this fic. Well, I have written them before, but never posted them and certainly never where it involved three people so, no, I'm not planning on it. However, if anyone out there wants to write one based on this story, feel free! Let me know and I'll go read it (as long as it's fairly tasteful.) YES! Gravitation really is shounen-ai! I encourage everyone to look it up at your local book stores. The first two graphic novels are fairly steamy, too, although the other three aren't as much. (There is a fairly nice scene in volume five, which I recently purchased, though.) Another good yaoi manga is Fake. (Don't remember who writes it, though.) Sorry, Keaira, I've never heard of Yami no Matsuei. I am, however, amazed and flattered that you like my fic. Everybody go check out Keaira's fics; they're much better than mine!  
  
Oops, that's all the questions I remember right now. Not really a great feat, is it? Still....  
  
Warnings: I own nothing. This is yaoi.  
  
~  
  
"Tryxidion." Kurama said with a grim smile.  
  
"Yeah, but who the hell is that?" Yusuke demanded for what felt like the hundredth time. When Hiei had first said the name, Kurama had gone deathly pale and they both had been quite silent on the issue since, making sure Yuki was in the bed and comfortable and giving Yusuke and Shuichi orders to gather supplies whenever they asked them what was going on.  
  
"A demon." Hiei answered shortly, not looking up from the mixture of herbs that Kurama had set him to stirring as they boiled lowly over the stove.  
  
"Well, I figured that, Einstein." Yusuke scowled. "What I mean is, what's so important about him? Why are you two acting like this? Is he tough or something?"  
  
Kurama glanced at the kitchen table where the white-faced Shuichi was sitting, peeling long green vegetables that Yusuke had no idea as to the name of and knew only that they were from the makai. The pink haired boy met his gaze imploringly.  
  
"Please, tell me so I can help." He pled, dropping the small ceremonial knife that Kurama had given him to use. "I can take it if it's bad. I need to know how you're going to help Yuki."  
  
"So far he is still fine, but within a few more days he would slowly start to weaken until, I'd say in about a week, he would die. Yusuke, my dear, please fill this with water and add it to the mixture Hiei has."  
  
"So, this Tryxidion guy. He's really strong, then?" Yusuke asked again, letting the water pour from the faucet for a few moments before filling the glass jar he had been handed.  
  
"No. And since we came here when we did we will be able to save that young human from the poison bite his creature has infected him with. There is nothing to worry about." Kurama pushed hair behind his ear as he continued to watch the plants he had set to growing in the windowsill.  
  
"Then why are you and Hiei so serious all the sudden?"  
  
"They used to date." Hiei grunted.  
  
Yusuke missed a step and nearly fell. "S...so, he's good-looking then?"  
  
"No. He looks like an ass with legs and a mustache. But Kurama still almost left me for him." Hiei's eyes were on the fox demon, who had turned his back on his two lovers. Yusuke could tell that there was a lot of unresolved conflict between them about this. "Didn't you, fox?"  
  
"Tryxidion was once a brilliant chemist, Yusuke, and a very interesting man to talk to." He sighed, pretending he was speaking of his own choice and not because Hiei had pressured him into it. "We had much in common, and often spent entire days in deep conversation on anything and everything under the sun."  
  
"Yes, he was much more interesting than me." Hiei spat bitterly.  
  
"That simply is not true, Hiei!" Kurama turned from his plants, eyes full of both guilt and anger. "How many times must we have this conversation? I chose you, did I not? Because I loved you, not him. Because I knew that you were better than him, and because I loved you more. Why are you still so jealous over this? I seem to remember you with a very attractive rabbit yukai around this time, and I never became jealous."  
  
"No, you had Tryxidion to console you." He smiled thinly, turning down the stove.  
  
"Damn it, Hiei! Stop it!"  
  
"You should have chosen Tryxidion, I'm sure he wouldn't bother with petty things like envy, neh? You could be terrorizing these humans together right now rather than arguing with a low being such as myself. You're stupid medicine is done heating." He took it off the stove and turned the eye off before leaving the room. Kurama looked desperately to where he had gone, to Yusuke, and back again. Yusuke held up the medicine recipe his lover had hurriedly scrawled out before they had begun working and smiled.  
  
"Go on. I'll take care of it."  
  
Relief flooding his eyes in a silent thank you, Kurama followed quickly after the short, irritable demon.  
  
Yusuke sat across from Shuichi at the table and began to chop the vegetables that the human boy had been peeling.  
  
"They're...lovers?" Shuichi asked quietly, eyes large as he carefully avoided looking up.  
  
"Yeah, so what? You and that Yuki guy are too, aren't you?"  
  
"Yeah, but...I never met other...um...never mind." He finished peeling the last vegetable and set to helping Yusuke chop. "Are they going to be all right?"  
  
"Yeah, I think so. "Yusuke answered, praying he was telling the truth. He couldn't understand Hiei's anger – he hadn't acted that way when Kurama first took Yusuke as a lover, had he? It made him feel guilty to think that he had probably caused the same kind of hurt he had seen in Hiei's eyes a few moments ago, the same kind of bitter argument that no doubt tore Kurama up inside. Did it matter that they were all happy now?  
  
They finished in silence and Yusuke gathered up the chopped pieces and dumped them into the foul-smelling brew on the stove, stirring it up. They fizzled and became gooey-looking. When he glanced back again, he found Shuichi with his head on the table and a blank look in his eye.  
  
"Hey, I'm sure that Yuki guy will be fine." Yusuke assured him with forced cheerfulness, trying to take his mind off of his own problems. "Kurama knows what he's doing, don't worry."  
  
"If I lost Yuki...."  
  
"You love him, don't you?"  
  
"Things were going so great! I think I was even getting him to like me, a little. He doesn't really, you know. I'm just persistent and kind of entertaining. I really don't know why he puts up with me when it would be easy for him to find other people to sleep with. But he does. He was starting to open up a little, I think. I can't lose him now!"  
  
"You won't, I'm sure!"  
  
The boy continued to wail, quite childlike and annoying. "Are you always this much of a spazz?" Yusuke asked dryly, rolling his eyes as he carefully began to pour the rather chunky mixture into a glass. (Note: Anyone watch the old Ninja Turtles movies? I get the image in my mind of that crap they made and later froze into ice cubes or something and hid in doughnuts when they were trying to de-mutate those animals Shredder made. Was that the second movie? Anyone know what I'm talking about? Eh...never mind.) "Come on, let's go feed this to your boyfriend."  
  
"He won't eat that shit." Shuichi whimpered, rising and wiping the sleeve of his shirt across his eyes and slightly runny nose.  
  
~  
  
"I won't eat that shit."  
  
"You gotta eat it. You wanna die?" Yusuke demanded, holding the glass out to the angry-looking man, who began to glare. Scary as he was trying to be, he was nothing compared to Hiei. Hiei in a good mood. Hiei in a good mood on Prozac. Hiei in a good mood on Prozac in Disney World. Hiei in a good mood on Prozac in Disney World getting laid. Over and over.  
  
Yusuke decided it would be wise to redirect his thoughts.  
  
"Look, all right, we know what we're doing. I know it smells rank and looks like...well, like diarrhea, but this shit is what's going to save your life. It's not my fault you aren't smart enough to avoid being bitten by a possessed, demonic computer. I mean, come on! It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that, hey! You should stay away from the strange looking thingie with red glowing eyes because chances are it doesn't want to make nice. DRINK THE DAMN MEDICINE!"  
  
"Eiri, please...."  
  
Yuki glared a moment more before snatching the cup from Yusuke and downing it in one long gulp. His face went slightly green and he pushed it back. "There, happy now?"  
  
"What did it taste like?"  
  
He looked at Shuichi flatly for a long moment. "Chicken. Chicken covered in snot."  
  
The boy's lips quirked, and though he tried to fight it, he soon dissolved into giggles and fell from his perch on the side of the bed to the floor.  
  
"Can I get up now?" Yuki demanded.  
  
"I'm afraid you are going to have to stay bedridden for at least twenty- four hours in order to let the medicine settle." Kurama answered from the doorway, walking in followed by a less-unhappy looking Hiei. "I'm afraid that also means you cannot have company in that bed, although it is fine if Shuichi-san wants to stay in here with you. No fooling around, mind you."  
  
"Then what's the point in keeping the brat around?"  
  
"Hmmm...."  
  
"Heeeeeyyy! That's not funny! Yuuuukkkkkiiiiii!!!"  
  
He sighed as if making a great sacrifice and held the blankets up for Shuichi to scramble in beside him, glaring Yusuke and the others as if daring someone to comment. Yusuke didn't miss how his eyes softened somewhat when they fell on Shuichi, and wondered at how Kurama could have realized the two were an item before he did.  
  
"What about my computer?" Yuki demanded coldly.  
  
"Yes, that." Kurama carelessly flicked a strand of hair over his shoulder. "That will have to wait until tomorrow, although my team and I should remain here overnight to ensure it does not make its way to you."  
  
"It can do that?" Shuichi asked, eyes large.  
  
"Unfortunately, yes. And while we don't know why Tryxidion has chosen to attack you, we do know his usual battle tactics. You should be perfectly safe. My companions and I will sleep in your office tonight, between the computer and the door."  
  
"You're going to so much trouble for us...."Shuichi sniffled.  
  
"No trouble at all." Kurama's eyes gleamed. "We shall think of it merely as...as a camping trip."  
  
Yusuke and Hiei exchanged knowing looks.  
  
(Note: In case you've forgotten, Eiri is Yuki's first name. So when Shu- chan calls him that earlier, it's intentional, not a mistake on my part.)  
  
~  
  
"Now aren't you glad I made you call that number?"  
  
"Shut the hell up and go to sleep."  
  
Shuichi sat up a little, propping himself up on an elbow. "Yuki, did you know that two of those guys are gay?"  
  
"So what?" He demanded, refusing to open his eyes. "So are you."  
  
"I am not! Just because I'm with you doesn't mean...and I'm not in love with you cause you're a guy, anyway, and..."  
  
"Is there a point to this or do you intend to ramble until I physically force you from the room? I'm trying to be nice, letting you stay in here. I don't have to. I could make you keep our guests company. Make sure they don't steal anything."  
  
"I just thought it was kind of weird, that's all. They had this big fight in the middle of the kitchen and then disappeared for a few hours...I think you need to hire a cleaning lady to disinfect the house before you tough anything they may have done something on. And the other guy didn't even care that that's what they were probably doing. Don't most normal guys freak out about stuff like that?"  
  
"Name one that you know."  
  
He was silent for a long while. "That's beside the point!" He decided finally.  
  
"You're such a hypocrite." Yuki sighed. "Go to sleep. I'm tired and you're getting on my nerves. Your voice is grating."  
  
"I'll go to sleep if you hold me."  
  
"Hell no."  
  
"Please, Yuki?"  
  
"I wasn't kidding when I said I'd make you sleep with the detectives, brat, now shut the hell up."  
  
Shuichi sighed heavily and lay back down, fidgeting with the sheets. After a few moments, Yuki huffed in irritation and put an arm around him.  
  
~  
  
To Be Continued 


	16. Chapter 16

Shuichi yawned as he padded into Yuki's office early the next morning, a very large, steaming mug of hot chocolate laden with marshmallows in hand, and was surprised to find the three...whatever they called themselves, already awake and at work. Funny pieces of paper with strange writing on them were set us around the room, glowing faintly, and Shuichi took one from the wall, looking at it closely. Another of the papers was stuck to the computer screen, which Kurama sat in front of, staring unblinkingly forward. Vines trailed from his fingertips and into the back of computer while Hiei watched carefully, giving directions. Yusuke sat on the floor close by, almost seeming to be sulking, and was the first to notice Shuichi.  
  
Face brightening, he leapt to his feet and moved toward the slightly younger boy, ushering him back into the hallway.  
  
"What's going on in there?" Shuichi asked.  
  
"Keep it down; they're trying to concentrate. They're trying to lure the monster out of the computer – Kurama thought we should try that fist. If it comes out peacefully, we won't have to smash it in."  
  
"Yuki would be pissed if you hurt his computer!"  
  
"We're trying, all right?"  
  
"What are these thingies?" He asked, holding out the paper he had taken from the wall.  
  
"What?" Yusuke reached for it, then drew back with a hiss, shaking his hand. "Put that back!" He snapped. "Damn it, do you know how long it took us to put those up? Damn!"  
  
Shuichi quickly returned the paper to where he had found it and when he turned back to Yusuke he found the other boy examining a large, angry red burn on his hand.  
  
"That little piece of paper did that?"  
  
Ignoring him, Yusuke stalked to the kitchen and turned on the water, sticking his hand under the faucet.  
  
"Yusuke-san? What happened? Is it my fault? I'm sorry...."  
  
"I need bandages. And ice." He snapped, glaring back when Shuichi didn't move. "Now!" The light made his eyes seem almost golden, but Shuichi didn't think about it as he gave a small jump and hurried to do as told, also getting some burn salve for good measure.  
  
"What were those things?" He asked as he and Yusuke sat at the table and attempted to treat his hand.  
  
"Demon wards, to keep Tryxidion from interfering." He hissed, attention focused solely on his hand.  
  
"Why...why did it burn you?"  
  
Yusuke looked up at him and he gasped as he realized that his eyes really were golden, and the pupils were slit like those of a cat. Shuichi stumbled backwards out of his chair, mouth gaping. "You...you're a...? But....Yuuukkkiiiii!" He wailed, turning and running back to his lover's bedroom, leaving his hot chocolate forgotten on the table.  
  
"Yuuuuukkkkkiiiiii!" He screeched, turning the corner's quickly and skidding on the rug in the living room, falling to his backside with a loud crash. Tears stung his eyes, but he quickly picked himself up off the ground and went running again. "Yuuuukkkkkiiiii!!!" He wailed, turning down the hallway so fast he lost his center of balance and crashed into a wall. Yuki's door opened and Yuki stepped out, pale, leaning against the doorframe. Shuichi stopped in his tracks at the familiar scowl.  
  
"What the hell is it this time, brat?" He demanded, voice a touch breathless.  
  
"My thought's exactly." Kurama said from the doorway to Yuki's study. "You are making quite a racket, I fear, my concentration has been broken. Had you started that incessant wailing two minutes earlier, we all would have been killed! And you caused Yuki to leave his bed, when it is far too soon for him to do so. Don't you realize that the medicine severely weakens him as it takes affect? Bruising could be enough to cause weeks of agony at this point, much less if he were to fall!"  
  
He sank to his knees helplessly, whimpering and unable to stop the tears. "I'm sorry. I didn't..."  
  
"What is it, Shuichi?" Yuki sighed. He actually smiled, and Shuichi's heart sank with the knowledge his lover really was unwell.  
  
Shuichi froze as Yusuke passed him and went to stand with Kurama in the doorway, the bandage around his hand bringing all of Shuichi's fears back. He pointed a trembling finder at the dark haired boy.  
  
"He...he...he's a demon!"  
  
"So?" Kurama asked calmly. "We are all demons, my dear. Who better to deal with a case such as this than those with the most understanding of the workings of such beings, neh?"  
  
"Y...you're...you're all...."  
  
(NOTE: Kurama, Yusuke and Hiei put up the wards with gloves on, and didn't activate them fully until they were up – that's why none of them were initially hurt by them)  
  
~  
  
"Jeeze, I told ya already, I didn't expect him to faint! Stop lookin' at me that way; it's not my fault he figured it out!"  
  
The pale, now slightly sweating Yuki continued to glare at him, now propped up amid a mess of pillows, the unconscious Shuichi beside him. Yuki's hand rested on the boy's chest as if he didn't even notice it there. "You frightened him."  
  
"I'm not an evil demon!" He snapped. "Hell, I'm barely a demon."  
  
"Well, now that they know, you may as well take the hat off, kitten." Hiei smirked, arms crossed over his chest.  
  
"WHY ARE YOU SO OBSESSED WITH MY EARS, YOU FREAK?"  
  
"It is not only your wonderfully fluffy ears, Mr. Kitten. I like your ass as well."  
  
"HIEI!!!"  
  
~  
  
When Shuichi woke, he had a wonderful moment of forgetfulness, forgetting entirely why he was in bed in the middle of the day. At first he had thought that it must have been because Yuki had decided to especially friendly and had torn himself away from his writing for long enough to spend a little quality time with his Shu-chan.  
  
But then Shuichi realized that he was still clothed, and when Yuki wanted middle-of-the-day sex, he never left a scrap of clothing on either of them.  
  
He whimpered as he remembered it. The computer, Yuki's sickness, the demons...  
  
A hand moved across his back and he froze, lifting his face to see Yuki sitting next to him, propped up on pillows, so pale it frightened him.  
  
"Yuki..." He whispered.  
  
The older man smiled – something he rarely did – and Shuichi whimpered again.  
  
"You...you really are sick, aren't you? You're going to die, aren't you? WAHHHHH YUKI DON'T DIE!!!!"  
  
The smile faded. "Don't be a complete idiot." The writer snapped coldly. His voice was strong, despite his appearance. "You've done enough of that today, don't you think?"  
  
"Are the...the demons...still here?" He asked, frightened.  
  
He snorted rudely. "Of course they are; they haven't finished their job yet."  
  
"How...how much longer?"  
  
"They're estimating tomorrow or the next day. The monster still refuses to come out of the computer on it's own. I sure as hell am glad I have that piece of crap insured."  
  
"How are you feeling?" He asked, fear for his lover taking precedence over fear of the scary monsters in their home.  
  
"Better. Go away now."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I don't want those people alone in my house – you're supposed to keep an eye on them, remember? You've been out for two hours; I'm already annoyed as hell with you for acting like such a child. Get the hell out of my room."  
  
Shuichi tried arguing, he tried flattery, he even tried seduction (which he didn't think he was very good at yet but which had actually almost broken Yuki, who was secretly very turned on by his fumbling innocence and inexperience) but nothing worked to convince Yuki that he didn't need to go and keep an eye on the demons. A mere few minutes later he found himself outside the door to the study, terrified.  
  
He peeked in and stared.  
  
Then he squealed and ran in, glomping Yusuke violently.  
  
"Sugoi!" He squealed. "Kawaii Yusuke neko-chan!"  
  
~  
  
"So what's that supposed to do?"  
  
"Lure the monster out."  
  
"Can I have one of the French fries?"  
  
"No, they're for the monster."  
  
"Oh. Can I have the pie then?"  
  
"Also for the monster."  
  
"Oh. Well, then, can I have..."  
  
Kurama whirled on Shuichi, patience finally lost. "It is all for the monster; all of it!" He yelled.  
  
Hiei snickered and continued trying to fan the scent of the food into the computer.  
  
Shuichi had barely moved since coming back to the computer room – he had sat for nearly an hour on the floor, arms around Yusuke (who's tail was unwrapped from around his body and ears were no longer hidden by his usual hat) occasionally petting the other boy's long, silky hair and murmuring a "good neko. Good boy. What a pretty kitty you are." To which Hiei laughed and laughed and laughed and was in one of the best moods Kurama had ever seen him in.  
  
"He's not coming out." Yusuke said after several moments, teeth gritted in annoyance, one eye twitching. "Let's just smash the damn thing."  
  
"One more attempt, my dear." Kurama sighed, "It's regulation, you know. Hiei?"  
  
"About time." He huffed, smiling, as he dropped the fan and moved in front of the possessed computer. He drew the cloth from around his head and turned toward the screen.  
  
Shuichi screeched at Hiei's reflection, grabbing Yusuke tighter. "Scary!"  
  
"No, no." Yusuke corrected. "Cute. He's a very cute chibi. Go glomp him. Go...can't...breathe..."  
  
Kurama took note of the slight blush staining Hiei's cheeks and stored it away for later as his longtime partner began to look for the monster in the computer.  
  
"Anything?" He asked finally, watching his lover begin to sweat.  
  
"Yes. Almost. Almost I..." Faster than the eye could see, his hand whipped out into the computer screen, scattering glass everywhere. It came away bloody, a tiny monster clutched in it. It struggled, it bit, finally it turned and threw up on him. Threw up a lot. Hiei was completely covered by green slime. Yusuke and Shuichi had been behind him, and Shuichi had ducked behind the "cute little neko-chan" when the spray occurred, and Yusuke had been splattered by the green gunk.  
  
Kurama began to laugh.  
  
~  
  
To Be Continued!  
  
I know it's short, but I thought this was a good stopping place. Let me just say that I really liked writing this chapter! It was fun! Review, please; reviews are fun, too! 


	17. Chapter 17

I just realized that there were no author's notes at the beginning of the last chapter. Silly me to forget. I usually remember to go back and put them once I think of something to say. Oh well, I doubt my stirring commentary (aka useless ramblings) was missed overmuch. Yesterday I went out and bought volume six of Samurai Deeper Kyo and past 2 of the .hack games ( .hack//mutation ) I'm so excited! Well, Kyo's publishers still haven't printed the picture I sent them, even though it's better than many of them that they are publishing (um, yeah, they're publishing fanart in them...) but it was a good read. Check out that title if you life samurais and sword fighting. It's pretty cool – I live historical fiction. Anyway, by the time I got home, it was too late for be to play my new video game, because I enjoy being able to sleep sometime before having to get up and get ready for school. This is why I'm so excited: I got .hack//mutation for Christmas – the first video game I have ever played that belonged to me and not my brothers, and the second game I've ever beaten (the first being Kingdom Hearts, of course). Anyway, when I beat it, I immediately went around town looking for the next one, but nobody had it. Not Wal-Mart, Toys- R-Us, or even the local gaming store. Now, three months later, I walk into the game store and there it is! Yay!  
  
All right, there's your ramble for this installment.  
  
Special thanks to Ai Higeki. I haven't had the chance to go to that page yet, but I intend to asap. Thanks a lot for taking the time to write me with the link!  
  
Warnings:1. This is yaoi. 2. I own nothing. 3. The aliens are going to get you unless you wear tinfoil hats.  
  
~  
  
"All done!" Shuichi announced, finished doing his best to get the icky green goo out of Yuki's carpets.  
  
"I am as well." Kurama decided with a smile, placing the last bit of broken glass from the computer in a plastic garbage bag. He was smiling, as he had been ever since he had stopped laughing at Yusuke and Hiei, who had not long ago stomped off to the bathroom to clean up after the...sliming...incident. Shuichi hadn't thought, when he had first met the graceful, beautiful man, that he was capable of such a cheerful mood. "I suppose I should go see what is taking Hiei and the kitten." He decided with a chuckle, tossing long strands of hair over his shoulder.  
  
"Let me do it." Shuichi volunteered quickly, shooting a glance at the small monster tied up with dental floss and trapped under a glass. "I'd rather have you here guarding the monster, anyway."  
  
"Very well."  
  
Shuichi quickly sprang to his feet and gathered the cleaning supplies, taking the garbage bag from Kurama. He took that to the trash can outside, and put the cleaning supplies back in the cabinet where they belonged, then went cheerfully to check on the two demons, idly wondering if Yusuke would chase a catnip mouse if he held it in front of his face.  
  
"Guys? You okay in there?" He asked, lightly tapping on the door. No answer came, and so the cheerful teen strolled on in on his own.  
  
~  
  
"Stop laughing, detective, you are nearly as messy as I!" Hiei snarled as the younger demon closed the bathroom door after them. He yanked a towel from the closet and began furiously trying to get the sticky, green, and somewhat smelly stuff from his face and hair. He imaged he could taste it, although none had managed to get in his mouth.  
  
"You just...your glare...you..."  
  
He rolled his eyes, his lover's words impossible to understand amid all the laughter. "You are such a child sometimes!" He hissed.  
  
"That's not what you said last night." He chuckled, removing his shirt and putting it in the sink, soaking it with warm water. Yusuke's smirk was very annoying. "Then again, you weren't saying much of anything last night."  
  
"How could I? – you and Kurama gagged me!"  
  
"Well," He shrugged. "You're the noisiest, you little love slave, you! We didn't want Yuki or, worse, Shuichi, to come in trying to find out what all the screaming and moaning was about, did we? You know perfectly well how Kurama reacts in a "camping" situation – there was no way we could have avoided it. Not that I would have wanted to." He gave a laugh. "Whose idea was it to turn on the web-cam, anyway, do you remember? That Tryxidion guy's gonna have a fit when he finds that in his e-mail! What do you think he'll think when he finds out you're still with Kurama? And so hot and heavy, too! After all these years! And with a hot little number like me thrown in..."  
  
"Would you just shut up?" He growled.  
  
"What's the matter, precious – grumpy?"  
  
"Why in hell did you also send that video to that ridiculous Kuwabara and annoying Koenma?"  
  
"Because I wanna give Kuwabara nightmares. Koenma was your idea, and so was tying you up, so don't you start yelling at me for that."  
  
"It was not! I said that you would be wise to bind me before I lashed out and killed you – you weren't listening!"  
  
"What's your problem, anyway?"  
  
"You are my problem, kitten. Stop being so damn upbeat – I swear that Shuichi's idiocy is rubbing off on you!"  
  
"Hey, don't call me that! And it is not!"  
  
Hiei hid a smirk as Yusuke's tone became annoyed. "You looked pretty comfortable when he was patting your head. Perhaps you'd rather be with him and his lover. Be their good little kitty?"  
  
"You know, you must have some pretty deep insecurity problems if you get jealous this easily!"  
  
"And you must have many of your own for you to become such a whore."  
  
"Bite me, Hiei, all right?" He snapped. "I don't feel like dealing with your crap right now. If you can't take some simple teasing, then you can just bite me."  
  
"Very well, detective." Hiei whirled on him, pushing against the wall and hungrily claiming his mouth for a moment before slipping down to his neck, teeth scraping skin a moment before giving a small nip. "How's that?" He asked, mouth still against the flesh of his lover, before moving over his throat, to the other side of his neck, down over his shoulder.  
  
Yusuke's arms had closed around him and he held him close, purring slightingly, for several moments.  
  
"We can't, Hiei, this is someone else's house."  
  
"So what?" He asked back, raising his head to take Yusuke's lips once more.  
  
There was a loud gasp and the two jerked apart, staring as they found Shuichi in the doorway. Immediately the boy took off running, wailing for his Yuki.  
  
"Must he do that every time?" Hiei huffed.  
  
"What's the matter this time?" Yusuke wondered.  
  
They looked at each other, shrugged, and decided simultaneously to follow the rather excitable young singer.  
  
~  
  
Shuichi felt dread as he opened the door to Yuki's bedroom and found Kurama in there with him, checking on him. How was he to tell this nice, gentle man that his lover was cheating on him with their partner? He had wanted to ask Yuki what he thought he should do, but he couldn't ask right in front of him! That was unkind and stupid and besides, Kurama was a demon – who knew what powers he possessed? If angered, he could easily rip of Shuichi's head and use his skull for a glass, grinding up Yuki's bones to make his bread...or something.  
  
"What now?" Yuki demanded, annoyed.  
  
Shuichi's heart dropped as Yusuke and Hiei stepped calmly in the room – surely they would kill him before he had the chance to tell on them!  
  
"I...I..."  
  
"What?" Yuki demanded, a slight bit of concern showing in his eyes.  
  
"Kurama-san, I'm really sorry, but I caught Hiei cheating on you!" He blurted.  
  
The redhead lifted his eyes, eyes cool and faintly amused. "Oh?" He asked calmly.  
  
He nodded, carefully watching the other two demons – he would protect Yuki, should they decide to attack. "They were in the bathroom kissing..."  
  
"Oh, good. I am so glad when they get along."  
  
"WHAT? But they were...and they...and the kissing..."  
  
"Ever hear of a threesome, kid?" Yusuke asked dryly.  
  
"WHAT?!"  
  
Kurama sighed, rubbing his temples. "Do not let it trouble you. Would you rather I be heartbroken? Still, Yusuke and Hiei, you could have waited for me."  
  
"Hey, you guys owe me for going off alone yesterday and you know it!" The raven haired cat demon snapped.  
  
"Yes, of course." Kurama agreed, overriding Hiei's protests. "As soon as we get home, we'll all...."  
  
"No."  
  
"No?"  
  
"No. There's only one way I want you to make it up to me, and you know it."  
  
Hiei's eyes widened and he blanched. "You don't mean...?"  
  
"Exactly. I want you to do...the thing."  
  
"Never!" Hiei spat, making as if to attack him until Kurama restrained him with a simple touch.  
  
"My love, it is not a difficult thing he asks."  
  
"But it's humiliating and degrading!"  
  
"Still, in a situation like ours it is always important to ensure everyone knows that he is loved as much by his lovers as they love one another. It is the least we can do."  
  
"So, you'll both do it?" Yusuke asked, watching them carefully.  
  
"Yes, we will. I swear it." Kurama promised with a light smile. "Hiei?"  
  
"Fine." He grumbled. "But I don't have to like it."  
  
Yusuke nodded, satisfied. "Good! You don't know how long I've waited for you two to do the thing again, and after this mission, I'm really gonna' need it."  
  
Hiei growled something incomprehensible, but undoubtedly rude.  
  
Something crashed loudly in the hallway and the three demons turned to the door expectantly.  
  
"Guess he got our invitation." Yusuke shared a smirk with Hiei as Kurama cast them a faintly disapproving look. "You two better wait in here." The cat demon ordered confidently, hands on his slim hips. Better you don't see this."  
  
They left the room, closing the door after them. Shuichi stared after them until he felt a hand grasp his wrist, then turned to see Yuki, faintly surprised as the man moved over enough for him to crawl into bed.  
  
"Are you feeling better, Yuki?" He asked, wincing as something crashed outside their door.  
  
"Get closer, fool." He growled, pulling the boy more securely to his side, eyes locked on the doorway. Shuichi realized he intended to shield him should anything break through the door.  
  
"Yuki, you can't!" He gasped, trying to pull away. But now the fair haired man had a firm grip on him, and refused to release him no matter how he struggled, he finally settled, whimpering quietly, as Yuki grunted with pain and he realized that he had kicked him. "Yuki..." He whispered, jumping a little at the sound of a loud bang, followed by an angry roar.  
  
"They may not even get in, idiot. I just don't want you getting yourself killed." His arms tightened and he mumbled something more under his breath, but Shuichi didn't catch it.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"Yuki," He scolded. "You know I'll just annoy you until you tell me. Spill it."  
  
His mouth twisted with distaste. "Without me." He answered, obviously not liking it. "I said I don't want you getting yourself killed without me."  
  
"You're sweet side is really strange." He laughed, cuddling closer.  
  
"You're one to talk about strange, you stupid masochist." He growled uncomfortably, resting his head atop his lover's.  
  
They both jumped as the door opened.  
  
Yusuke smiled, swiping carelessly at blood at the corner of his lip. "We're done." He announced, abrupt. Behind him they could see Hiei and Kurama standing guard over a very ugly, scaly-looking little man. "Yeah, he says he was hired to bother and harm you two by a rival author, Yuki, but he won't tell who. We'll have him questioned, and let you know when we find out. Until then, we're going home. We'll bill you."  
  
He closed the door and was gone, obviouslt more than eager to be leaving.  
  
Shuichi found himself blushing.  
  
"Yuki?"  
  
"Mm?"  
  
"What do you think "the thing" is?"  
  
~  
  
"Ohhh!" Yusuke moaned, head pressed back against the couch. "That's great! Right there....no, don't stop! Harder! Yesssss...." Unconsciously, he began to purr. "Mmmmm!"  
  
Kurama chuckled quietly at the miserable look on his other lover's face. "Oh, don't be like that, Hiei." He whispered. "Our kitten does deserve a reward, does he not?"  
  
"In all my days, I never dreamed I would be doing something so degrading." The shorter demon growled, teeth clenched. "Imagine me, with all my power, forced to give another man..." He shuddered. "A foot rub."  
  
"Just continue without complaint. He'll owe you a favor one day, and think of all the nice things you can do then."  
  
Hiei's head shot up and he stared at Kurama for a long moment before slowly beginning to smirk. 


	18. Chapter 18

Hi again, I'm back! There was a lot of response last chapter; that makes me so happy! Eeeee! Anyway...(tries, and fails, to regain dignity) There really aren't that many YYH threesomes out there, and at this moment, I can't think of any that I have read on FF.net, bad or good. (Of course, lately I've been reading mostly Weiss Kruez and Gundam Wing yaoi...) Anyway, though, if anyone is bored and looking for a good fic, check my favorites page; there's some really good stuff on there. I'm king of eclectic in my readings, so there's a lot of different genres there. Oh, but everyone needs to read the fic "K and H" if you haven't already. (I think it's on my fav. Page, if it isn't, let me know and I'll put it there) Anyway, the thing is, that ifc was written as a joke – don't take it seriously, guys, I mean it or you'll all be really pissed that I made you read it – and the writing really isn't all that great, but it's only a one shot, so read it till the end and I guarantee you'll find it hilarious.  
  
Warnings: This is yaoi and I own nothing. Don't let the ninjas get you.  
  
Yusuke couldn't keep the glare off his face or the annoying (embarrassing) pout from his lip as he sat on the bed squeezing a pillow as if it were a person he wished to throttle and watching Kurama iron a suit. Not even the way the late afternoon light coming through the window played off the other demon's silken red hair was enough to detract from his anger, although his lover looked as gorgeous and edible as ever. Maybe more so – there was something fairly sensual in the way he preformed household chores.  
  
"This is stupid and I refuse." He spat finally, ears laid back flat against his head, claws gigging into the poor, helpless pillow.  
  
Kurama didn't bother looking up. "You cannot refuse; you have already given me your word." He replied with infuriating calm.  
  
"What choice did I have?" He growled angrily. "I was helpless with you acting like some drunken prom date! I would have agreed to anything to get you out of your pants!"  
  
"Nevertheless, you did agree and thus you will not be permitted renounce your decision."  
  
"Damn it, Kurama!" He slammed a fist down on the bed. "I ain't goin' back to school!"  
  
Kurama ignored the announcement, merely glancing at his youngest lover and gracefully brushing long strands of hair over his shoulder with a graceful sweep of his hand before returning to his task.  
  
Arguing was no use if he refused to argue back!  
  
"Look, I'm old enough that the law can't force me to go – not to mention I had practically dropped out long before I ever came to live here. There's really no reason whatsoever for me to go – it's not like we're even staying in the human world permanently anyway."  
  
"How old are you, my dear?" He asked calmly.  
  
"Almost nineteen; you know that."  
  
"Hmm, yes. And how old am I?"  
  
"Um...really, really old?"  
  
"Yes, I suppose, by your standards."  
  
"What's the point s'possed to be? I must be missing it entirely; unless you're trying to say that our relationship makes you some kind of demon pedophile...it doesn't does it?" He asked, suddenly afraid. "Are we gonna' have problems when we leave the human world? Are you having issues about our age differences? Are you going to feel guilty and leave? Can I still keep Hiei? Is there going to be some type of weird demon-lover custody battle?"  
  
"Yusuke," He chuckled, "You think of such odd things. Clearly you are adult and able to make your own decisions, whatever the physical age of your body – which, by the way, is much different than it was before your transformation. No, my love, I was merely trying to point out that I am older than you, and yet I am still going to a human school. We must learn about the world around us in order to keep from making stupid and perhaps dangerous blunders. Besides, the law can force you to go, and I am not speaking of human law."  
  
Yusuke blinked a few times, completely caught off guard. "Huh?"  
  
"Whatever you may have previously believed, there are a few demons who make their homes in the world of the humans. They bear humankind no grievance and make their lives peacefully and uneventfully and they must have a human education, by law, to be able to more fully assimilate themselves into human society. Also, they must have their souls born into human bodies, as I did, although there is much paperwork involved for those doing it officially, rather than slipping in as I did."  
  
"Hiei doesn't have to go to school."  
  
"Hiei has never possessed a human body. You and I have, although yours is apparently gone forever."  
  
Yusuke grew silent, thinking. Kurama really was impossible to argue with. Finally he asked the only thing he could think to ask.  
  
"The demons are always peaceful here?"  
  
"No, of course not, however there are strict rules and punishments for those who attempt to gain power in this world. We must be discreet, anonymous. Those who attempt to gain power and fame are swiftly dealt with. They are not all necessarily evil, understand, they just cannot be permitted to unduly influence humans."  
  
"Example?"  
  
"Well..." His brow knit. "Hitler, the 'magician' Merlin, Elvis...take Napoleon, for example. He was demon, originally, and his soul still languishes in a spiritworld prison."  
  
"Napoleon? Really?" Yusuke thought about it for a moment. "Was he the same kind as Hiei, by any chance?"  
  
Kurama looked at his with a startled, confused expression. "I...I do not know, actually. Why?"  
  
"Well, they're the same height."  
  
Kurama smiled, then began to chuckle quietly.  
  
Hiei looked up with a scowl as he finally heard his two lovers come down stairs, for a moment forgetting his annoyance at the sight of them dressed in freshly pressed school uniforms. There was just something altogether too enticing about the thought of them as school boys which threw him off balance.  
  
"This is stupid and I refuse."  
  
"Hiei, if you believe you will be so bored by yourself you are welcome to come with us; but you cannot refuse to allow us to go." Kurama sighed. Hiei wondered if Yusuke had put up as much of a fight as he was about to – what was he supposed to do with his days with neither of his lovers to keep him entertained?  
  
"Never." He snorted.  
  
"Well, then..."  
  
"This is sheer idiocy – why do we not just leave this world, rather than waste our time in such a way?"  
  
"You promised, Hiei, that you wouldn't give me any more trouble about returning to Makai until after my mother has passed away or it becomes too obvious that I do not age as humans do." The redhead scolded. "Besides, we agreed that Yusuke needs time to adjust to his new form before releasing him into makai."  
  
"I'm not a pet, you know."  
  
"Hush, kitten, the grown ups are talking." Hiei's lips curved into a small, satisfied smirk at the look of rage his "kitten" shot him, but he otherwise pretended to ignore it, locked in a battle of wills with his fox – until he 2was distracted by Yusuke covering his beautiful, long and graceful, velvety furred ears with a black bandana. He rounded on the boy angrily. "What are you doing?" And his tail! His beautiful tail was wrapped around his waist wike some kind of cheap belt meant for a preadolescent girl!  
  
"Humans do not have large furry cat ears, my dear." Kurama reminded him quietly. "He must hide them."  
  
"Yeah, I must!"  
  
He clenched his teeth in attempt to keep from violence. "But they're my favorite part..."  
  
"Favorite?" Yusuke and Kurama asked as one, both raising their eyebrows in almost identical expressions of doubt.  
  
He sputtered a moment before finding an answer. "Favorite...not covered by clothing...usually...oh, shut the hell up already!"  
  
"Someone's got a napoleon complex." Yusuke snickered.  
  
Amazingly, Kurama began to giggle, then bent over double with laughter. Grinning, Yusuke took the two bagged lunched Hiei had grudgingly made for them from the counter and began leading the redhead to the door, stopping only long enough to give Hiei a lingering kiss that made the shorter demon seriously regret his decision not to go with them.  
  
Perhaps he should think about reconsidering his decision.  
  
"Yusuke, my love, please stop growling. You're earning stares."  
  
"I don't wanna be here."  
  
"Now now, no more of this. You agreed, did you not? And think of all the opportunities we will have to slip away into a restroom or janitor's closet."  
  
"Look at them whisper. They all know what I am, I bet." He countered, shooting his lover a scowl, hand moving involuntarily to the black silk bandana they had received special permission from the school board (whose president was also a demon) for him to wear with his uniform to cover his ears with.  
  
"They stare merely because you are a true specimen of beauty – one which will not stop growling! It is unusual, undoubtedly."  
  
"You're the pretty one." He grumbled.  
  
"Yusuke," Kurama gave a small laugh, hand coming up to rest on his lover's shoulder. "I do believe you are merely looking for excuses to argue. Do you have me confused with Hiei? It is not battle which turns me on, you know, and if you want me, you need only ask."  
  
Yusuke missed a step, and Kurama laughed again.  
  
"Perhaps we could lay down our jackets under a tree and..."  
  
"Kurama! What do you think you're trying to do!?! Damn it, I ain't stone!"  
  
"Forgive my teasings, my dear. But look; we have reached the front steps of the school and you have not burst into flame – perhaps you will survive this after all. Come, let us go inside and see what beast awaits us." He chuckled; teasing Yusuke always lightened his mood. He had agreed to transfer schools with Yusuke so the boy would not have to be alone in a new environment. Hiei had actually been the one to insist that, rather than go to the school Kurama had attended for all of his high-school career they go to a different one; putting them both on equal footing, with both having to endure a new situation. It had taken Kurama days to persuade his mother, who was still, after nearly two years, upset over his moving out to live with Hiei, to allow him to transfer. It hadn't been as if he could give her his real reasons! It had also been Hiei who had insisted that Kurama and Yusuke keep their relationship private – two very attractive boys sleeping together was enough to cause them no end of trouble, after all.  
  
Besides, he was probably the tiniest bit jealous he wasn't involved, despite the fact he adamantly refused to participate.  
  
"Anyway, you may have fun here, kitten. I have heard the schools in Nerima have a definite reputation for a large number of school fights."  
  
"Even I got more honor than to fight some weakling human." He growled, allowing himself to be lead into the school building.  
  
Kurama sighed quietly under his breath and fished the schedule he and his youngest lover shared from the pocket of his stiff uniform pants, memorizing the number of their homeroom class quickly before turning Yusuke in the right direction. He doubted that even Yusuke noticed his check – undoubtedly it looked as if he just knew exactly what he was doing, where he was going, all along.  
  
Hiei scowled and glanced at the clock, scowl growing as he realized that it had only been a matter of minutes since his lovers had left, not hours as he had thought. He sat on the couch, watching the television and feeling completely foolish. Laziness was such a waste, but he'd already had his morning workout, and without his lovers or a mission there really wasn't anything better to do.  
  
Gods he was bored.  
  
To Be Continued  
  
Had to stop it here because I don't want the next part to be separated. Someone please send me the correct spelling of Yusuke's last name and Kurama's, too. (Um, yeah, the last name of the human form...) I'll look them up on my own if I have time, but I need them and there's no guarantee I'll get around to it any time soon. I need to get some rewritable cds, then I'll be able to type these up on my laptop and post more often.  
  
Ja 


	19. Chapter 19

Yes, it's been a while, I know. I won't bore you with excuses – it's time we, myself included, accept the fact that I tend to vanish from time to time. I wish I could be more consistent for you, I really do. Please forgive me, oh loyal readers who I adore.

Thanks for all the help with the names, and the suggestions, too. (Sorry, I don't watch Yugi-oh, although it was a neat idea.) I noticed recently that the marks I put in the divide the sections/pov changes aren't showing up. I don't like that. It interferes with my chaotic sense of neatness and overall wa. What chap divider marks will work? Anyone know?

I feel kind of stupid saying this, but I don't understand your suggestion, Rokane Ree-san. Can you explain it to me, please?

I've been reading really wonderful Gundam Wing and Weiss Kruez yaoi lately. Mmmm mmm good. That's not really, essential, but I just felt like mentioning it. Rambling is fun. I'm listening to a .hacksoundtrack, so I'm in an odd mood anyway.

Warnings: This is yaoi. I own nothing. Contrary to popular belief, the moon is, in fact, made of cheese and one day it will fall from the sky and crush us all. Have a nice day.

"Stupid...don't know why she had to go and hit me so hard...ain't my fault...didn't know they were over there...wasn't staring..." Still mumbling grouchily to himself, Ranma Saotome pillowed his head atop his arms and silently cursed the fact that he was actually going to have to try to stay awake during class because of the off-chance his fiancé may have given him a not-so-slight concussion. "Stupid...ugly...tomboy..."

"You want to repeat that a little louder, Ranma?" The dark haired girl next to him asked with a falsely-sweet smile as meanwhile she broke the pencil in her hand in two by use of only her thumb.

He knew he should just shut up and let matters remain as they were.

But that wasn't a very entertaining option, and besides, his name was still sullied by her accusations. He sat up and attempted to ignore the pounding in his head as he glared angrily at the girl. "I was not staring at those girls, you dumb as a brick, hairy-legged cow." He snarled.

He had been the only one. A few weeks ago, a sensation had passed through the entire school as not one, but five stunningly beautiful girls transferred into the school from the Juuban area. Most of the guys now spent their days pining away after the five beauties, and most of the girls refused to speak so much as one cordial word to them. As for Ranma, he ignored them unless the situation demanded otherwise; he had enough problems with the so-called "fairer sex," after all.

Akane's eyes widened at the harsher-than usual insults and she began to grow red in the face. "Why, I never...! If I'm so horrible, Ranma, then why not switch to one of your other fiancées, then, huh?" She demanded. "After all, they're all so much cuter than me, anyway, aren't they?"

"Well, now that you mention it..." Ukyo mused from her perch atop her desk, pausing to take a bite of the breakfast she had brought that morning that smelled so good Ranma was still deciding if he should risk the wrath of Akane by going to her and asking to try it. "We actually are cuter." She agreed with a smile, motioning with her chopsticks. "I mean, there's really no point in denying it."

"Was I speaking to you?" Akane demanded.

Ukyo raised her eyebrows. "So tell me, Akane-chan, why is it you feel so inadequate as a woman that you have to continually suspect and mistrust my dear Ranma-honey?"

The braided boy groaned softly under his breath and buried his head in his hands. "Ucchan, I told you to stop reading that book! I got 'Psychology for Dummies' for you as a joke! A JOKE!" Kami, he was going to catch no end of hell for this one.

Akane leapt to her feet and picked up her desk, lifting it up above her head as Ukyo merely watched her, calmly finishing off the too-good smelling breakfast and intentionally giving the sign that she saw her rival as no threat whatsoever. This, of course, only infuriated Akane even more, to the point which she began to shake.

Ranma stood, holding up his hands. "Come on, there's no need to fight over something so stupid!" He began, cutting off as he received dual glares.

"Who's stupid?" They demanded simultaneously.

Unfortunately for everyone, the teacher walked in as Akane threw the desk – not at Ukyo, but at Ranma, and Ranma dodged the desk, and though it didn't hit the pitiable, underpaid educator walking through the door that just happened to be behind the rather luckless martial artist, it did manage to whiz by close enough to take his toupee with it.

Akane's eyes grew to precisely the size of saucers, and her mouth formed a small little o before she gasped and quickly covered it with both her hands.

"Sorry bout that, Mr. Tako – it's my fault." Ranma said quickly. "I was just..." He trailed off as, behind the steadily redder and redder teacher there walked through the door two boys he had never seen before. Two boys with strange ki that made him almost want to cower with the sheer amount of it. Almost, but not quite. Ranma Saotome did not cower.

The first was a boy with long red hair and striking eyes of green, everything about him from the way the school uniform fit him to the way he brushed bangs from his eyes as he surveyed the room critically, shouting grace and elegance. Ranma literally thought he heard one huge, collective gasp come up from the female (and a surprisingly large amount of the male) population of the classroom. Ranma thought he himself might have been part of that collective sigh, but couldn't be sure.

Frankly, he didn't really want to know.

The second boy who came in, holding the toupee and examining it curiously, was also stunningly pretty and graceful, however; those things weren't really as noticeable in him as they were in the first lad. His long, silky black hair was pulled back into a messy tail and he wore a black bandana despite school dress code rules, along with a black, furry belt around his waist. No, what was striking about this boy was his air of confidence and sheer toughness. Ranma found himself trapped, staring, as the boy turned large, chocolate brown eyes on him.

Another sigh went through the room.

"Mr. Saotome, are you even listening to me?"

He tore his eyes from the darker boy's slow smirk to stare dumbly at the teacher.

"Huh? Whattdya want?"

"Make that two months of detention before and after school, Saotome."

"Sure, if you wanna see me that much. But I gotta, warn you – I'm already engaged, so don't get too attached."

"Saotome!" What followed was a series of insults and threats that Ranma had had no idea teachers were allowed to say. The pigtailed boy found himself staring even after the bad words had finally trailed off. "Go get the damn desk!" The man finally roared.

It took a few moments for Ranma to dislodge it from the hallway wall, but eventually all were seated properly and a semblance of order had returned to the classroom – all but for the fact of the two strangers and the teacher's missing hairpiece, which the dark one was still playing with.

"Take out your homework." Mr. Tako snarled as a few moments passed by in which everyone stared at him.

Ukyo was the first to manage to speak, although the attempt wasn't really as successful as she might have wished. "Who...who..."

Tako spun, and actually seemed momentarily surprised to find the two boys standing behind him. The dark haired one waved with the hand holding the toupee as a small, barely noticeable smile turned up the corners of the redhead's mouth.

"Oh...right. You two. Class, we have two new students with us today." He announced unenthusiastically, snatching his hair away as the boy attempted to make it into some sort of hand puppet. "Maybe if you'd stop scaring people away with your violence they'd stop sending all of the new kids to me..." He grumbled under his breath, forcing the toupee back onto his head. He cleared his throat and continued with a scowl. "This is Shuichi Minamino and Yusuke Urameshi." He informed them before turning to the new boys. "There's a seat in the corner, and one in the back."

The redhead smiled as he placed a hand on his companion's shoulder. "If you don't mind, we would prefer to sit together. Isn't that correct, Yusuke?"

"Yeah. So do some rearranging. Now."

"Please, Yusuke. You mustn't forget to say please." Yusuke rolled his eyes over to look at his friend and merely growled. The redhead laughed lightly and squeezed his shoulder before dropping his hand. "I am sure it can be accommodated, can it not? A simple request, really." He offered logically.

"Anybody want to move?" Tako demanded, too exasperated to attempt to argue.

Hands rose up around the room and the redhead, clearly pleased, chose two desks in the very front of the classroom, despite his companion's objections.

Tako slammed a fist onto his desk to regain the students' attention. "Homework!" He roared.

Hiei stopped trying to count the grains of salt in the shaker when he reached four million. Sighing, he forced the shaker away from him and tilted his head back to stare at the ceiling. Counting things had begun to lose the element of distraction it had promised when he had begun by trying to see how many hairs there were on his head.

He stared at the small bumps on the ceiling until they formed strange pictures and he began to see spots. Only then did he roll his eyes down to the clock on the wall, cursing quietly as he saw that a mere twenty minutes had passed since the last time he had checked, and there were still hours of waiting before his lovers would return home and...entertain him.

The salt and pepper shakers were made in the forms of small, chubby sumo wrestlers, smiling broadly as they feasted messily on drumsticks, corn on the cob, and pie, grease trailing down their faces and arms in a surprisingly realistic manner. They were horribly ugly things – Kurama had thought it was hilarious when he gave the set to Hiei as a gag gift a few Christmases ago when he had still been trying to convince the smaller demon that the human world was a good and worthy place to live. That had been back before they were living together, and long before Yusuke had joined them. For some reason Hiei had found he couldn't throw away the revolting little men – and neither could he keep them in their box. When he had agreed at last to share a human-style house with Kurama and they had moved in together, the shakers had been the first thing he had unpacked. Kurama had laughed for hours – until he realized that Hiei had every intention of actually putting them on display and using them.

To this day they still argued about them. Occasionally, Kurama would hide them and replace them with more attractive shakers, but Hiei always found them eventually. Last time he had thoroughly trashed his fox's replacements. It had been a while since Kurama had attempted that again, actually.

Sighing, Hiei shook out some pepper into his hand and shifted through it until he had separated the tiny grains. "One...two...three..."

"What a waste of time!" Yusuke complained, slamming a third carton of milk onto his lunch tray and shooting a glare over his shoulder at Kurama. He turned back around before his lover could see the glare melt into a soft smile – he would never admit it out loud, but he was actually having a bit of fun. Surrounded by strangers, he and Kurama were a complete mystery everyone wanted to know about. He hadn't failed to notice the way eyes followed him and his fellow demon, and he found that he liked the attention.

It was always amusing to see the kind of response Kurama got out of people who weren't used to his elegant, almost unsettlingly perfect presence. Amusing because there weren't very many people who met him and didn't want him, and those people would never have a chance of touching him because he belonged to Yusuke and Hiei.

Yes, Yusuke liked showing off his boyfriend.

He couldn't wait for his classmates to find out that there was more to their relationship than friendship – and judging by how many times the fox had already pulled him into a janitor's closet, abandoned classroom, or bathroom stall, he doubted it would be long before delicious rumors started. Not to mention how often the redhead let his hand lingeringly brush his rear or back, or all the times he had leaned forward to tuck stray bangs behind Yusuke's ear while they talked. Kurama was accustomed to doing all of these things whenever he wished – in public or in private (although in private he tended to take it a little farther) but Yusuke was still pleasantly surprised that Kurama didn't intend to hide their relationship as he had previously assumed he would.

"You think Hiei's okay by himself?" He asked, avoiding looking at his lover for fear of ravishing him in the middle of the lunchroom. That was a bit too extravagant a gesture of affection, even for the insatiable fox. He froze as Kurama's hand reached past him to snag the last brownie out from under the nose of a girl in a boy's uniform and place it on Yusuke's tray.

"Oh, I am positive he his finding some way to keep himself entertained." Kurama answered, breath on Yusuke's neck. His hand dropped to rest on the neko's waist as he led him toward the register, grabbing himself a bottle of fruit juice on the way. "Training, sharpening his weapons, frightening small children...he probably barely realizes that we are gone. Here, I will pay for us both today." He slid past Yusuke, body brushing Yususke's back as he moved to hand some money to the waiting lunch lady. Hiei had made them both lunch, but somehow the brown bags had been...lost. Hiei was a wonderful cook, but Kurama refused to be seen carrying something as inelegant as a paper bag of food.

Yusuke glared as they began to walk toward the tables, looking for a seat. "Cut it out." He growled quietly as Kurama's hand brushed him once more.

Kurama raised his eyebrows but refused to look at him. "Whatever are you talking about, my dear?"

"You know. And if you don't stop, I might just attack you right here and now. In front of everyone. I know you don't want that – neither you nor Hiei likes letting humans see that we can feel affection, too, and you know it."

"So many eyes on you, Yusuke. I cannot keep my hands away." He whispered heatedly, making Yusuke shiver.

"Kurama..."

"Hey, Urameshi and Minamino! You guys lookin' for a seat?"

They looked up simultaneously in the direction of the voice calling to them, and Yusuke found his gaze met with a pair of intelligent and challenging blue gray eyes belonging to a boy with black hair pulled back in a pigtail. He wasn't the one who had called – that came from a group two tables over – but it was to this boy's table which he headed, Kurama following behind him.

The girl Kurama had stolen the brownie from was just taking a seat, shooting them a glare and loudly complaining about certain rude people who couldn't wait their turns in line. A girl with short, dark hair sat at the table was well. There were a few other boys and girls scattered around, mostly unremarkable. The most remarkable thing about the table, really, was the way the girls, with the exception of the one in the boy's uniform, sat on one side of the other and the boys on the other. Yusuke offered the pigtailed boy his best smirk.

"Room for two more?"

"Not really."

"No? Looks like it." And he sat, comfortable in resuming his role as schoolyard bully and smiling cheekily at Kurama's mildly disapproving frown as the redhead took a seat across from him. Yusuke opened one of his milk cartons and drank it down in one easy swig. He licked his lips happily, giving his lover a small wink as he turned toward the pigtailed boy.

"Yusuke Urameshi. And you are...?"

"He's Ranma. Ranma Saotome." A girl supplied quickly, fluttering her eyelashes and preceding to introduce first herself and then everyone else. Yusuke pointedly ignored her, reaching forward to tug the boy's pigtail.

"Well, Saotome, I noticed you staring in class, and I wanna' let you know that I don't appreciate it." He took a large bite out of his tuna sandwich and quickly ran through all the ways in which he could quickly establish himself as a force to be reckoned with. "We're not gonna' have a problem, are we?"

The boy's lips turned up in a sneer. "Not unless you wanna' cause it. I can't say that'd be too smart of decision if you do."

Yusuke laughed and opened up his second carton of milk, choking as he felt Kurama's foot brush against his thigh under the table.

"Are you all right?" one of the girls asked.

"The kitten is just a little too eager for his milk." Kurama smiled. Yusuke shot him an angry glare, which he only responded to by calmly brushing his hair over his shoulder and brushing Yusuke's leg with his foot again. "Really, I must apologize for him. Yusuke enjoys inciting a reaction in people, isn't that right, my dear? He means no harm by it. But really, Saotome-san, your manners are not very good. It is easy to see how someone could be offended."

"How long have you and Yusuke been friends, Shuichi-kun?" The girl who had been introduced as Akane Tendo asked, obviously attempting to change the subject. "Are you related?"

"No, we - "

"Don't call him that." Yusuke interrupted, clearing his throat.

"Really now, that is my name, after all. It's quite all right."

"No it's not. Call him Kurama."

Kurama smiled lightly and took a delicate, unexplainably sensual bite of his food. Yusuke refused to look at him.

"You guys fight?" Ranma asked abruptly.

"Each other? No."

"We get along fairly well." Kurama agreed with another smile, holding Yusuke's eyes for a long moment.

"No, I mean, are you martial artists?"

Yusuke snorted and Kurama chuckled lightly.

"Something like that." Yusuke answered finally.

"You any good?"

This time, Yusuke couldn't help but to laugh.

To Be Continued

Um, there's really no point to this particular crossover; it's just something to happen to pass the time until the really important things begin to happen. I guess there's really no need to mention that this part features the wonderful characters of Ranma ½; I think most people have at least heard of it. Um, sorry is Ranma seems a little ooc, I think I wrote him (and everyone else from his world) a little too aggressive, but it kind of just...er...happened. Also, I know about the little chibi teacher of his who steals power from people through the holes in yen but I didn't feel like dealing with her, so I left her out.


	20. Chapter 20

I'm going to go ahead and start on this even though I haven't posted the other yet...Does it seem like Ranma likes Kurama and Yusuke? If it does, I'm sorry. He doesn't; he's just nosy and feels inexplicably threatened by their presences, as anyone might.

Warnings: I own nothing. This is yaoi. Look out – behind you!!! (Eh...no pun intended, I swear...)

Sounds of argument came through the classroom door even before Ranma reached it, and the pigtailed boy could only feel relief that, for once, it didn't involve him. He had left the dojo at an extremely early hour in order to avoid Akane, Shampoo, Kuno, Kodachi, and Ryoga – who had only just returned from only God knows where last night. For some reason, all of them felt like attacking him lately, and he just wasn't in the mood to deal with it. Besides, no one would think to look for him at school.

Not that he was hiding from them or anything...

Besides, the principal was threatening a lawsuit if he was the cause of destroyed school property one more time.

Still, Ranma was surprised to find anyone other than himself at the school at that hour.

"No! No, I won't do it; it's stupid!"

"She's you're mother, my dear. The least you can do visit her at her request."

"I should kill Kuwabara for giving her my new number." Yusuke glanced up as Ranma walked into the classroom, then dismissed him as if he didn't exist. He sat on top of Kurama's desk, and the redhead sat properly in his seat, a novel held open but ignored as he spoke with his dark haired friend. "Look, Kurama," Yusuke had lowered his voice, but Ranma was a very good eavesdropper. "I know your mom's great, yadda yadda yadda, she taught you about caring for others, yeah, whatever," He hissed, "But my mom is a drunken, irresponsible whore and I don't want to see her ever again. She's the reason I ever started living with you, if you'll remember."

"Oh? And here I thought it was because..." And here Kurama's voice dropped too quiet for Ranma to have any hope of overhearing. The pigtailed martial artist pillowed his head atop his arms on his desk and pretended to be asleep.

"That's the reason why I stay." Yusuke grumbled quietly, tone of voice odd and almost...sheepish.

Kurama chuckled quietly and their conversation continued in whispers. Ranma lifted his head to chance a glance and found their heads close together, eyes locked on each other. There was something about their body language that was somewhat disturbing to Ranma, but he couldn't pinpoint why. It was obvious that they were close friends; he just couldn't remember ever seeing two guys sit so close to each other.

A group of girls came in then, talking and chattering happily until they spotted the two new boys, who they then made a beeline for.

"I know where I know you from now, Yusuke-kun." One of the girls said flirtatiously, sitting on top of the desk next to the one Yusuke sat on and shifting in such a way that her skirt came up and flashed her thigh. Her name was Miki, and she was the class harlot, shamelessly flirting with anything male. She usually didn't waste her time on guys her own age though. "My friend Natsume goes to your old school!" She looked at him through her lashes and smiled wickedly, voice low. "She said you were a big bully. Really scary. Do you want to bully me, Yusuke-kun?"

A low growl sounded in the boy's throat and he smiled dangerously and the girls all squealed.

"Oh! You really are scary!"

"You got that right. I was the biggest punk that old place ever saw. They couldn't handle me, I tell you."

"Yusuke," Kurama was frowning at the girls and turned slowly to his friend, eyes half-lidded as he gave a small smile and brushed long strands of hair over his shoulder. "Do you know the original meaning of that word? Punk?" He had succeeded in attaining the other boy's rapt attention, and Yusuke seemed almost entranced by his eyes as he shook his head no. Giving the girls a smile Ranma could only describe as naughty, Kurama put a hand on Yusuke's shoulder and pulled him down, whispering in his ear so quietly that not even the girls heard what was said.

Yusuke stared at him for a long while after he had finished, then silently slid from the top of Kurama's desk and moved to his own, swatting the girls away as if they were flies. He sat staring at the chalkboard for a few moments, before turning large eyes back on the redhead.

Kurama calmly stood. "I believe I have left something in my locker. If you will excuse me, please, ladies."

Rolling his eyes, Ranma buried his head in his arms, only raising it when, about five minutes later, the disappointed sounds of the girls alerted him that Yusuke was leaving as well.

The classroom was beginning to fill up. The five new girls had come in followed by the male (and two female) classmates who had taken it upon themselves to stalk them. They ignored their admirers completely as they took their seats and chatted cheerfully amongst themselves.

Three minutes before class was scheduled to begin, Ukyo came in, slipping him a note and a small satchel of breakfast foods on her way to her desk. The note read: DANGER! PREPARE TO SUCK UP BIG TIME! – U

Its meaning became clear once Akane walked in, a mere seconds before the bell rang. She was disheveled and glaring furiously and there were black rose petals in her hair – a telltale sign of a spat with Kodachi. If the past was anything to judge by, Shampoo had probably been there as well.

"Where the hell were you?" She hissed, sliding into her desk. "I swear, Ranma, I am sick to death of cleaning up your messes for you!"

How the hell was she supposed to understand how utterly sick he was of everyone he knew trying to kill, or worse, marry him? She would never believe that he grew tired of the constant fighting. "I had some things to take care of." He answered sleepily. Why did Ryoga always have to attack in the middle of the night?

Akane's eyes softened. "Is there a problem, Ranma? Do...do you need to talk about something?"

He snorted.

Her eyes hardened once more. "Like I'd want to help you anyway! It was detention again, wasn't it? You are such a slouch, Ranma!"

"All right, quiet, quiet! Everyone in your desks!" The teacher paused in taking out his lesson plans, looking around the room. Ranma noticed a small child had followed him into the room and stood silently behind him, observing the class with cold, almost hateful eyes of ruby. "Where are Urameshi and Minamino?"

"Shuichi-kun had to get something from his locker." Miki supplied. "And Yusuke-kun just...left."

The teacher frowned and made a mark in his planner. "Both tardy on their second day..." He grumbled, then looked up and motioned impatiently to the child behind him. "We have yet another new student. This is Hiei Hiei." He looked up at the boy. "You have the same last and first names?"

The child only glared.

Mr. Tako seemed suddenly very, very nervous. "W...we...well, isn't that...isn't that unique. You...you can just...uh...choose a seat...anywhere."

"Thanks." He answered, sounding sarcastic. "Where do the two who came here yesterday sit?" It was pointed out to him, both front seats; Kurama's the beginning seat of the first row. Wordlessly, Hiei lifted the boy sitting in the seat next to Yusuke's by the collar and hauled him up, pushing him away.

"Hey! What the hell do you think you're - !?"

Glaring, he gathered the boy's books and pushed them at him and then, turning to the desk next to the one he had emptied, he took up Yusuke's books and put them on the newly emptied desk, then sat in the middle desk and crossed his arms, ignoring the girls who squealed over the presence of the "kawaii chibi"

It was while the teacher was taking roll that both Yusuke and Kurama returned, both stopping in the doorway to stare at the new boy.

"Hiei!" Kurama exclaimed, for the first time that Ranma had seen appearing to be surprised.

"I should have guessed you would come here after the way you attacked us yesterday when we got home." Yusuke muttered, grinning broadly. Blowing off Mr. Tako's attempts to demand to know why he was late, he took a seat in his new desk.

The new girls, Ranma noticed, were staring at the three newest members of the class, who continued to lean in and whisper to one another even after Mr. Tako had begun teaching and made an assignment. Ranma thought that once the teacher was about to scold the three for disturbing the class, but he trailed off as if afraid. At that point in time, Yusuke and Kurama were leaned in close having a heated conversation in whispers while Hiei, between them, had his hands neatly folded on his desk and his eyes fixed on the teacher, a strange, menacing expression on his face.

By lunch time, Ranma realized they were still discussing what they had been that morning. It was also very clear that somehow the new boy was a part of the deep friendship that Kurama and Yusuke obviously shared, even though he refused to speak to anyone else, and didn't seem the friendly type. When Yusuke and Kurama had moved to the lunch line to buy food, the short boy had stopped them with a glare and wordlessly pulled out three sacked lunches.

Yusuke obviously thought it would be amusing to sit at Ranma's table again, much to Ranma's annoyance. The presence of the two "hot new bishis" and the "kawaii chibi" meant more people than usual sitting at the tables around him and trying to sit at his table. More people he would have to ensure didn't get hurt if someone decided to randomly attack him.

Which was entirely possible. Ranma had no doubt that Yusuke himself had probably already picked him out as the strongest in the school, and if he was any kind of fighter he would be challenging the pigtailed boy before very long.

"Enough, Kurama." Yusuke snapped, brushing the redhead away as he continued to try intently to whisper something to him. Growling lowly, he pulled a sandwich from his bag and took a fearsome, almost violent bite out of it. "Nothing you can do will make me go and see that bitch." He snarled, mouth full of food.

"Really, my dear, must you be so coarse?" Kurama sighed.

Yusuke only glared. "I ain't goin' nowhere near her. She almost ruined my life. Hiei, side with me here."

"No chance in hell." The chibi growled. "Have him mad at me, too? What kind of fool do you take me for?"

"Hiei!"

"Yusuke, she claims to have cleaned herself up. She seems to genuinely want to see you."

"Yeah, like hell. She's done shit like this before, Kurama, but she always goes back to her old ways. Example: After I di..." he cut off, suddenly seeming to realize that he sat at a crowded table and was speaking rather loudly. "Look, enough, okay? We'll talk about this later, in private, all right?"

Kurama sighed. "Yusuke, you force me to do this. Until you go and visit her, I shall be forced to cut you off."

"What? You can't do that!"

"Cut him off from what?" Ukyo intruded rudely.

Yusuke stared at her a long moment. "Candy." He said finally. "He won't let me have any candy until I agree. Sadistic bastard."

"Now, Yusuke..."

"Anyway, it ain't gonna' work, Kurama." Yusuke snorted. "I'll just get my candy from Hiei."

"Not unless Hiei wants to stop receiving candy from me as well."

"That's not fair!"

"Why don't you just go and get your own candy yourself?" Ukyo asked, once more butting in rudely.

"What are you, some kind of pervert? Yusuke Urameshi does not need to get his own candy, understand? I ain't that pathetic!"

Hiei placed a wad of money on the table. "I say he gives in by the end of the day."

"The hour." Kurama smiled, sliding the money over to himself and placing it in his pocket.

"You're betting on me!?"

"We know how much you love your candy, kitten."

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!!!"

"The strange aura has grown." The dark haired girl said quietly, stirring around her rice with her chopsticks, appetite suddenly gone completely.

"Do you know what's causing it?"

"No. Not for sure yet."

The blonde's large blue eyes were large and frightened. "Are you sure it's the same aura from the dream?"

"The very one." The raven haired girl shivered in fear. The end of the world, time closing in on itself, and one great aura of both darkness and light that would either speed the end or prevent it – the distance between good and evil, life and death, a mere hairsbreadth.

She glanced at the three new boys and the unease she'd felt since they had arrived grew stronger. There was something...wrong...about them. As if they weren't even human.

"Rei-chan? You okay?"

"F...fine." She lied.

Usagi smiled brightly and tilted her head to the side, pointing to Rei's lunch. "Are you going to finish that, by any chance?"

Ranma leapt into the air, turning it into a back flip at the last moment as Kuno tried to intercept him with a side kick.

"That the best you can do?" He taunted, landing seamlessly on the school's fence and flicking his braid over his shoulder.

"I shall fell thee, foul demon!" The troubled 'blue thunder' bellowed angrily, charging, wooden sword held high. "Enemy to all women; no more shall your accursed shadow fall upon the beauteous Akane! Like the wind of a tropical storm, I shall strike quickly and fiercely and leave you, the hapless village, forever destroyed!"

"Forgot to take your medication again, I see." Ranma observed, jumping off the fence and landing on the sword.

"That is of no consequence!" He roared, letting the end of the sword drop so that Ranma was forced to jump off, then swinging wildly at the pigtailed boy's side. Ranma pulled back from the blow, swinging his leg out and catching Kuno in the side of the head.

Knockout. Another meaningless victory for Ranma.

"Idiot." Ranma muttered, straitening. He felt a pair of eyes on him and found himself turning. Yusuke leaned against the wall of the school, watching him critically.

"Not bad." The dark haired boy called. "You've got style. I know another idiot you can beat up if you want. Might be a pretty good fight. Of course, Kuwabara fights more like a speeding locomotive than a martial artist."

"And you?" Ranma asked, crossing his arms. "How do you fight?"

"Like a demon." He growled with a smirk, picking up his bag and sauntering away.

To Be Continued

I'm starting to work in a plot a little bit now. Hurray!

"Punk" was originally a term used in ancient Greece (or Rome, I don't remember which.) It referred to the submissive in a male-male relationship.

At least, that's what I've heard. Anyway, let's just say that Kurama was being suggestive and leave it at that, neh?


	21. Chapter 21

Sorry for those of you who are upset with me, but I plan for this to be kind of a multi-crossover. I'm going to bring in anything I can think of, if it works. Also, sorry, but no foursome with Ranma. Sorry I take so long updating; I've been having computer trouble. I hope these chapters are worth the wait. I like the way they're going, anyway, and I finally know where I'm going. Sorry, but it looks like it's going to be a long one. Personally, I love reading long fics. Please stick with me.

There are a few reviews who encouraged me the most to post again, but I won't mention them by name because I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. You're all very helpful, of course, but some people's words were very inspiring. I've had a bad couple weeks, but then today I went back and read over all my reviews. Now I feel better and am going to reward you. So thanks, beloved reviews.

Warnings: I own nothing. This is yaoi. Don't eat yellow snow.

Ranma looked at the note in his hand and could barely stop from sighing. It never ended.

Son-in-law,

Come to the Cat Café tomorrow at the hour of seven or face certain doom.

-Cologne

He didn't like it; didn't like how he was the key pawn in everyone's sick little games. But if he didn't show up, there was no telling what the old ghoul would do, and it was his responsibility as a martial artist to prevent his personal problems from hurting innocent people. Cologne could easily do something bad to Akane to punish him, or worse, put another of her strange curses on him or someone else.

The Cat Café was busy with a large dinner crowd, people swarming around the entrance and waiting area. Ranma had had no idea Shampoo's little restaurant had grown so popular. Feeling depressed, he slid through the swarming mass to take a seat in the waiting area, trying to gather his thoughts as he did before a battle.

His concentration was broken as his reflection was shattered by the sound of two familiar voices. Nearly directly before him stood Kurama and Yusuke, both unaware of his presence. The redhead wore a Chinese-style outfit of emerald green and black, while Yusuke was dressed in black slacks and a ruby-colored long-sleeved shirt that closely hugged his body, dark hair pulled into a low tail that was neatly done, for once. He also wore his usual fuzzy belt and black bandana.

"Stop fidgeting; you'll do fine." Kurama was saying quietly, fixing Yusuke's collar. "Hiei and I will be nearby if you need assistance."

"Good thing she picked a public place for us to meet. At least she can't put up to much of a fuss when she finds out about…what did your mom say when she found out about you and Hiei?"

"Are you kidding?" Kurama laughed. "I have not told her, and never plan to. Her generation has no understanding of such things, and being merely human, she has little to no capabilities to accept what she has been raised to hate."

"Then why do _I_ have'ta tell _my_ mom?"

Their conversation trailed off as Hiei approached and informed them it would only be a few more moments before their table was ready.

Ranma stood and approached, deciding to say hello. The last thing he needed was more enemies, and people in Nerima tended to become very touchy over small things such as not receiving a greeting in public.

"So, what brings you all here?" He asked awkwardly, not used to a conversation where he wasn't being threatened or glomped.

"Yusuke is here to meet with his mother, aren't you, my dear?"

"Shut up, Kurama."

"You gave in then?"

"Yeah." He sighed, shooting the redhead a glare. "I just can't live without candy, damn it."

"But…it was only this morning that he threatened to take it away…"

"The kitten really likes candy." Hiei answered with a smirk. "It was only a matter of time before we had the little feline swearing to do our bidding. Isn't that right, kitten?"

A low growl sounded in Yusuke's throat. "Damn it, Hiei…"

"I don't understand." Ranma was sure he was missing something. "What's so great about candy?"

The three only looked at him for a few moments, before Yusuke and Hiei began to snicker, turning away. Kurama chuckled quietly a moment before answering, an amused smirk on his face. "I believe you misunderstood; we were using the word 'candy' to represent something else because we did not wish to cause trouble with our classmates."

"And it meant…?"

"Were you dropped on your head as a child?" Yusuke asked rudely, taking one of Kurama's arms and placing it around his shoulders.

"Several times actually. My dad…never mind."

"We meant sex." Kurama explained, still looking amused. "Hiei and I swore to cut him off from the steamy sex he so enjoys until he agreed to see his mother."

"Understand now?"

Ranma felt his jaw drop, but before he could ask anything or respond in any way, a nervous-looking waitress announced that their tables were ready. Hiei stalked after her as Kurama took a moment to squeeze Yusuke's hand before following to the table. Pausing to take a deep breath, Yusuke headed toward a different table where a woman who could only be his mother sat, back facing the entrance.

Ranma barely noticed when, with a squeal, Shampoo latched onto him.

Yusuke sat fidgeting nervously as his mother chattered happily about her new job and the renovations she was having done to the house.

"And we can do anything you want to your room, of course, anything at all. And did I mention I can afford that game system you wanted for Christmas three years ago? Oh, sweetie, everything's going to be different, I sear it."

Yusuke couldn't bear the sight of her. "I'm not coming home, mom." He informed her quietly, eyes on the table. There was a very high chance his emotions had caused them to change color. Kitty-cat eyes would bring way too many questions he didn't want to answer. The subject matter his lover was forcing him to bring up was bad enough on its own without adding a 'hey, by the way, mom, I'm a demon now' to the mix.

"Now, don't be silly, Yusuke." She laughed. "It was very nice of your friend to take you in while I was having problems, and I really appreciate it, but surely his parents are ready for you to go home, don't you agree?" She reached across the table to grasp his hand. "I was so thankful when that sweet Kuwabara boy told me where you had been and how to get in touch with you."

"Kurama doesn't live with his mother anymore. It's just him and me and Hiei." He said, fighting the urge to pull his hand away.

"Then you certainly should come home! It isn't right for three boys to be living together without any kind of adult supervision."

"We're all adults, mom."

She was no longer listening, too busy was she watching something going on on the other side of the restaurant. "Is that…is that a wedding going on over there? The groom seems so reluctant! Oh!" Yusuke's mom let forth a sudden exclamation. "Look at the size of the mallet that tomboy is holding! Does she plan to hit the boy?"

"Mom, can you please pay attention?"

"Well, I'm sorry dear, but I've never seen such a ruckus. Is it some type of dinner theater?"

Yusuke followed her gaze to the scene of the chaos, and decided to ignore it, even if it did appear that his classmates Ranma and Akane seemed to be somehow involved. And it _was_ a big mallet which Akane wielded. "Mother, I'm trying to tell you something very important!" He told her firmly, hoping Kurama was watching.

He was going to make that bastard pay…

"You're hair has grown so long." She tsked, turning her attention back on her son and reaching out to touch a long, silken strand. "First thing, we'll have to get you a proper haircut!"

He jerked away from her, searching the cafe desperately for the table his traitorous lovers sat at. Kurama's eyes were on him, steady and encouraging.

Damn him.

"Mom!" Yusuke shouted.

"What?" She blinked, taken aback. She smiled. "Go ahead, baby, I'm listening."

"YOU'RE WHAT!"

Ranma froze in avoiding an attack from Cologne to stare at the sudden outburst, as did everyone else in the restaurant, his fight forgotten even by the persistent Shampoo. It was from the table Yusuke had gone to; the woman there had leapt to her feet and was screaming some sort of nonsense, waving her arms.

"A DRINK; SOMEONE GET ME A DRINK, DAMN IT! HOW IN HELL CAN YOU BE GAY, YUSUKE? Ohhhhhh!" She wailed, oblivious to her son's attempts to calm her. "My baby's a homosexual! Where's a gun? I have to go kill myself immediately!"

The restaurant had grown completely silent but for a few hushed whispers. Raging battles the people or Nerima were accustomed to, but real issues they had no precedent for.

Yusuke was hissing something, his arms tight around his mother's waist as she lunged for a steak knife sitting on the table beside them as Hiei and Kurama hurried to Yusuke's aide like teammates in a battle.

Akane, Shampoo, and Cologne all had their attention suddenly diverted to the three boys – who seemed to be having quite some trouble subduing the out of control woman, who had rounded on her son's lovers and was attempting to scratch their eyes out. He had tried to take Akane's arm and suggest they slip away while the fight was at a lull, but she had shook him off, staring at the new disruption with starry eyes.

It just figured that they were all yaoi fan girls.

Reluctantly, Ranma decided that it was his duty as a martial artist to try to help.

"All right," Yusuke sighed, "Let's just set her down here. I don't want her to be near anything flammable, breakable, or sharp when she wakes up." The tall, black fuzzy ears atop his head twitched a little as he sat down on the ground before the park bench his mother had been laid upon. He sent a glare up at Kurama. "Is it time for me to tell you I told you so yet?"

Ranma had found the same difficulty his classmates had in calming Yusuke's mother. He had begun to think that their task would truly prove impossible, but then Yusuke's bandana had been knocked off his head in the fray, exposing ears that were nearly too-catlike for Ranma's comfort. While the traumatized mother stared at the ears a waiter who was also staring had stumbled, dumping o pitcher of ice water on Ranma's head.

The dual shocks of her son's ears and Ranma's quick sex change had been too great for the woman, and she had passed out.

"So…what now?" Ranma asked, pretending she wasn't uncomfortable as she sat cross-legged on the ground nearby.

Yusuke scratched one of his ears fiercely. "We wait, I guess. Damn, this is gonna be hell to explain."

"Did you forget to take your flea medicine again, my dear?"

"Leave him alone." Hiei's expression was closed off, eyes strange. Ranma thought he might be feeling a little guilty for helping to force Yusuke to see his mother.

"So uh…" Ranma trailed off as Yusuke turned a tired glare on him.

"I don't want to talk about it, miss."

"Hey now! That's uncalled for!"

The dark haired boy shook his head. "Why don't you just head home? I appreciate the help, but we have it under control now. In fact, if we leave her here, she might just pass it off as a drug trip or something…"

"We cannot simply leave her…" Kurama trailed off as Yusuke's tired, defeated eyes were turned on him once more.

Shaking his head, Yusuke stood and began walking away, Hiei following closely. Relutantly, Kurama did the same.

To Be Continued

Had trouble with this chapter. Think I'll just leave this here.


	22. Chapter 22

Hmmm…I know what I want to do with this chapter, but not how to do it…sorry if it doesn't work.

Ranma ignored the nasty looks shot at her as she stumbled through the doors of the Tendo Dojo, exhausted in ways she didn't even want to think about. Cologne's trap, the whole…fiasco…with Yusuke and his mom…

The scary cat ears…

Shuddering, Ranma brushed past Akane in the hall without so much as a glance at her, deciding she was too tired to try to make her violent fiancée understand that the incident in the café wasn't her fault. Too tired for another argument…too tired even to turn back into a boy, Ranma flopped down onto her futon and went right to sleep.

Across town there was a large, impressively nice house bought with the kind of money the Spirit World was forced to use when it was running out of ways to persuade certain of its agents to remain in its employ. Its yard was large and habitually green, even during the depths of winter, and its gardens the most impressive in the neighborhood. It was the envy of its neighbors, a warm and beautiful home the likes of which many wished one day to home.

Inside, the house was chaos.

"I told you – I TOLD YOU it would never work and you kept insisting." A young, dark-haired cat screamed, violently throwing down his jacket as he spun to face his pale and guilty lover. "You kept…'it'll be fine, Yusuke'; 'this is what you have to do, Yusuke'… 'if you don't agree I'll never touch you again, Yusuke'!"

"That isn't what I said…" The fox protested quietly, not quite up to defending himself against his lover's ranting. "I'm sorry; I am truly and most sincerely sorry. I thought it was for the best. I thought…"

"WELL, YOU THOUGHT WRONG, DIDN'T YOU?"

Anger had turned his eyes a vibrant, extremely feline yellow-green, the pupils mere furious slits. His ears were flat against his head, his tail swishing madly back and forth.

He had never looked lovelier, Kurama thought sadly.

He reached for him, searching for desperately for something he hadn't said yet that could fix his grievous error, but the small former human jerked almost violently away.

"Don't touch me." He hissed.

Yusuke and Hiei argued all the time, and somehow it always managed to mutate into something sexual. Their worst fights always ended up in the best sex, and afterwards it was always as if the fight had never occurred. No matter what things were said between them, it was always all right afterwards. There were not even any grudges.

Kurama wished fervently he could manage the same thing.

"Yusuke, I only had your best interests at heart." He said helplessly, letting his hand drop. "I love you. I would never do anything to bring you harm – you know that."

The dark haired boy stared at him with large, vulnerable eyes for so long that he began to think the storm might finally be passing.

But then his eyes narrowed and he scowled. "I can't take any more of this." He decided, brushing past toward the door. He didn't even glance at Hiei, who stood leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, as he passed.

Kurama was unnaturally pale and was shaking slightly, staring with wide eyes at the front door Yusuke had just stormed out of, back out and into the night. Slowly he bent to pick up his newest lover's jacket, staring down at it with an unreadable expression on his attractive face.

"He'll be all right, won't he?" The redhead asked quietly, turning his gaze slowly to his other lover.

Hiei snorted. The fox wanted comforting, but he had never made lying to his lovers a habit. "He doesn't forgive so easily."

"He always forgives you." He whispered, no longer the confident and mysterious kitsune. He was almost like a brokenhearted child whose best friend had just kicked him.

Or something.

The small demon nodded. "That's the way our relationship works." He agreed gruffly, never one to coddle someone he cared about. Kurama was hurt and needed comforting, but the same could be said for Yusuke. Hiei hadn't yet chosen whose side he wanted to take; in truth he didn't want to choose between the two his tiny, dark little heart was forced to love so dearly. "We fight so much that we've recognized that we can't afford to remain angry at each other for more than a few moments. And we both know that the other is too stubborn to ever apologize. So, instead, we fuck." He uncrossed his arms and, clearly troubled, cast a glance at the door. "That won't work for you."

"I gathered that, thank you!" Kurama snapped.

Hiei narrowed his eyes. "Do you want my help or not?"

"I apologize for my ill manners." He murmured bitterly, miserable. Had he imagined, when he first brought the then-human Yusuke into their home how it would change everything? Everything had been going to well, Hiei himself hadn't even imagined that something like this would happen.

The small demon sighed. "In a day or two, he will no longer be angry."

"Then I can apologize?"

"No; he won't listen."

"Then what am I supposed to do?" He demanded, loosing his patience.

Hiei frowned at him, but decided to cut his lover a break. He didn't want their days together with Yusuke to end, either, and only Kurama could fix the mess he had made. "In a few days, you will find him and tell him that you have done the same thing you asked him to."

Horror filled Kurama's eyes. "You don't mean…"

"You know exactly what I mean. You have to talk to your own mother."

"Sometimes I despise you."

"Doesn't everyone?" He shrugged.

Still childlike and vulnerable, Kurama glanced down at the jacket in his hands, then held it out to Hiei.

"He forgot this, and it's chilly out." He stated quietly. Hiei had the sudden, horrifying fear his brave, strong fox was about to cry. "Please find him and give it to him. And make certain he is not planning to sleep on a park bench." He attempted a smile that never reached his eyes.

Silently, Hiei took the jacket and hurried after their lover.

He hadn't yet gotten very far, of course, and it took the smaller demon only a moment to find him. Hiei skidded to a stop in front of him, silently praying that he wasn't crying or anything equally embarrassing.

Yusuke's face was impassive. Completely unreadable.

"You're being an idiot." Hiei said bluntly, holding out the jacket. "And you're hurting out fox."

A flash of anger flared through the still cat-like eyes as the spirit detective snatched the article of clothing out of his hand. "Thanks. What the hell do you want?"

"Why are you doing this, kitten? It isn't a very big deal, is it?"

"She finds me disgusting. She – the drunken whore – is looking down on _me_. I told him she wouldn't understand. I _told_ him."

"So your pride is hurt. That isn't a good enough reason for you to ruin what the three of us have."

"I don't give a damn about my pride." He snarled.

Silence filled the street between them. Pity Hiei was good at neither bringing comfort not playing peacemaker.

"You'll just walk away from us then?" The small demon demanded. "Like a coward?"

He nodded, pursing his lips. "I understand why you're taking his side, You've known him much longer…you two have been together for…"

He was cut off as Hiei kissed him roughly, almost violently, before pushing the former human to the ground. "You really are stupid, aren't you?"

"You understand why I didn't want to see her – Kurama didn't even try to see it. You know why I'm mad."

Hiei nodded. "I know. But I also know that by tomorrow you won't be wanting to live without Kurama. You can't walk away from someone like him – not with your sanity intact. He let his humanity get in the way of his common sense – he still did it out of love."

Yusuke picked himself from the ground, pulling Hiei to him in a hug that would have crushed a lesser being.

"I would tell you to stay away, except you won't listen. Still…I'm more like the toy you bring in when your relationship gets stale than an actual equal partner in this."

"Bullshit."

Yusuke shook his head, a small smile on his face. "I'll see you around, Hiei."

"Where are you staying?" Hiei demanded, crossing his arms.

"Why – going to make a booty call?"

"The fox wants me to ensure you aren't planning to sleep in the park."

The kitten hesitated. "I'm going to crash at Kuwabara's." He said finally. "Whether I'm wanted or not. But I don't want to listen to him apologize. I don't…"

"I know. But he will come for you."

"Yeah," He sighed. "He has to make everything so damned difficult."

To Be Continued

(Innocently blinking) Is the end of this chapter better than the end of the last one?

Sorry if the chappie seems short (don't they always, though?) I just couldn't, for artistic purposes, go any farther.


	23. Chapter 23

I've tried many different things, including going back on quick edit and still the chapter dividers won't show up. I have that because it compltely ruins the flow of the story and often leads to confusion. For this chapter I am attempting this: Between scenes there will be a Z to show the break.

Sorry for the inconvenience.

Mmm, I really don't like this next scene, but I can't think of anything else that would work. My problem is that I rushed the Kurama-Yusuke relationship in the beginning and now it's giving me trouble. Does anyone besides me think I should delete this story and re-write the whole thing? (Hmm…I think I've just given myself an idea…) Oh! Yeah! Nevermind, I think I just fixed it!

Warnings: …come on, it's chapter 23. If you don't realize that this is yaoi and I don't own the characters by now, then you really haven't been paying attention

Z

"Urameshi…Hiei…and…Minamino." Mr. Tako frowned to himself as he checked the three names off the roster, brow knitting with concern. "That's four days each of them have been out without a word. And no one's heard from any of them?"

"They're so mysterious!" A girl in the second row giggled.

Rei turned back in her seat to look at her other teammates, a frown on her face. Four days ago she had sensed a surge of dark energy and since then there had been no sign of the three most suspicious people in the class? Hopefully she wasn't the only one to see the connection.

Unfortunately, her friends all seemed as oblivious as usual. Pursing her lips, she silently sent the hand signal they had agreed on to call an emergency meeting after school.

Z

Somehow Yusuke always managed to be away when Kurama came to call. Either that or he had threatened Kuwabara enough that the oaf had gotten over his fear of the demon enough to lie and send him away.

Yet Kurama doubted that Kuwabara had enough skill to fake the completely useless look that had crossed his face when he had informed the fox that he had no idea where the dark haired detective was going to every day. According to Kuwabara, Yusuke was almost never at the house.

And Hiei refused to help, although Kurama was sure he had seen their lover since the argument.

"Thursday…" The fox sighed quietly to himself, feeling decidedly empty. He tried to remind himself that he had lived for years without having Yusuke in his life, but…

And Hiei seemed to hold the separation against him and refused to offer any comfort. Without either of his lovers, his youko side was starving for the touches it so craved. Meanwhile his human side was far lonelier than ever he could remember.

He found himself in the park, sitting on the bench he had found Yusuke on the night they became lovers, and had no idea how he had gotten there.

"So, you've finally found me."

Kurama's head shot up and he stared at the person who had spoken. Yusuke looked much too beautiful to be true in a pair of ripped, faded blue jeans and a long white button down shirt, his tail hidden under the shirt and a blue scarf on his head to hide his ears.

With a soft, unsure smile, the former human sat down beside him on the bench.

"Hi."

"Hello…"

"How are you?"

"Yusuke…"

The dark haired cat sighed quietly to himself. "You aren't going to start again, are you? I…I'm not angry anymore…but I can't come back yet…"

"Yes you can." He argued, desperation clinging to him. How strange, that he, of all people felt such…love. He loved Hiei and he loved Yusuke, both, and when he was without one, it was as if he was without a limb.

"Until you understand, Kurama, I just can't…"

He looked down, biting his bottom lip. "I tried to understand." He said hopelessly. "I followed some great advice from our Hiei and…I told mother about our little situation."

"Kurama!"

"She took it better than I ever would have dreamed…I'm sorry she didn't react the same as yours…but I did try, didn't I? Is there not something to be said for that?"

"Kurama…"

He shook his head, furious with himself. "I thought if I told her you would forgive me my blunder. But…she doesn't want to hurt me with the horror she feels at the thought of her son preferring the company of both women and men. I don't know what else I can do to make you love me again."

"I love you, damn it." He grumbled miserably to himself, staring down at the ground. "You know this isn't what its about."

"Come home, Yusuke." He pled, turning fully toward him and taking his hands in his own, pressing them firmly. "You don't have to be with me if you don't want to, but we will never be able to fix this if you are not around!"

"We barely know each other." Yusuke said quietly, pulling the scarf off his head and scratching an ear as he stared intently at a bird in a tree nearby. "Our relationship just kind of…happened. Overnight we became lovers…within a week I was in love with you. Does it really make since for us to expect it to last?"

"Don't say these things, Yusuke."

"Hiei and I had time. We were alone together for so long – looking for you. We got to know each other better than either of us ever imagined…but I don't know you the same way…and you don't really know me. We shouldn't love each other…"

Horrifyingly enough, Kurama felt the threat of tears.

"Then come home and we can start over." He suggested, fighting for his usual perfect control. "We will share Hiei until you've forgiven me – he won't mind as long as he's getting some action. And you and I can take things more slowly…begin anew."

Yusuke glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. "Would I still have to go to school?"

"Eh…"

A wide grin spread across his face, although his eyes were still slightly sad. "I'm teasing, Kurama. I'll come home…but you and Hiei have to keep coming to school, too."

Kurama found himself returning the smile.

"I believe we have an agreement, my dear."

Z

The next day all three of the "cute new boys" returned to school. Rumors abounded as to the cause of their absences, however, the three offered no excuses whatsoever.

Ranma was ignored completely

Z

To Be Continued

Yes, another short chapter.

Yokatta desu ka?


	24. Author'sNotes

Sorry to disappoint, but this isn't a real update. After a great deal of thought an a very great deal of wonderful, encouraging reviews, I have decided not to abandon this fic. I have, however decided to re-write it, as I am unhappy with certain things and think that it could be better.

So the point of this, and of breaking the rules (please don't tell on me!) is to not only let you all know, but to give you the opportunity to have some input on the revised version.

What do you like about this story? What do you dislike? What needs to stay and what needs to go? I'm taking all suggestions, so leave me a review or, if you'd rather, e-mail me at with CC as the subject.

I'm 99 percentcertain that I will not post the revision under the Kit3 penname, but under my other account, Penguin-sama, which I have been using more often lately.

I will post another short author's notes after I have posted the revision, so be looking for it. Remember, send me your comments and we could make this everything we all want it to be. For those of you who don't want a revised version, I will _not_ be deleting the original. There will, however, cease to be updates on it.

Lots of love,

Kit

**Changing Circumstances is now up under my other name, Penguin-sama! Please go there for the newest updates!**


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